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NAHANT, 



AND OTHER PLACES ON THE 



NORrH-SHORE; 



BEING A CONTINUATION OF NOTES ON THE SEA-SHORE, BY THE SHADE 

OF ALDEN. 



/• ^^' 



^'cyit-^ t 



This work relates to Nahant and its history, from its early settlement to the 
present time, and to its inhabitants, past and present — the parties which were in the 
habit of visiting it in olden time — the sea-serpent, the late Marshal Prince, and Capt. 
Rich — ^the first steamboat which ran to Nahant — names of the owners of cottages there 
— history of the hotel, and some account of its proprietors — sea stories, yatching, the 
Northern Light, the Raven, &c. ; to Apple Island, and the late Mr. Marsh ; to Deer 
Island and its history — dancing parties there, thirty years ago — Capt. Tewksbury and 
his successful exertions in saving the lives of his fellow men — remarkable case of mo- 
ney digging, near Money Head Bluff, in 1824 ; to Point Shirley — remarkable acci- 
dent there ; Chelsea, East Boston, Lynn, PhUlips's Beach, and the Swamscott fisher- 
men ; Salem, and the East-India museum ; Newbury port — the late Lord Timothy 
Dexter — remarkable case of the rescue of a mother from drowning by her own child ; 
Cape Ann, and a funny editorial dinner at the Gloucester House ; to Boston, and a 
ride in its vicinity, through Charlestown, Cambridge, Watertown, Waltham, Brighton, 
Roxbury, &c. ; to Lowell, Dedham, Worcester, Springfield, Taunton, New-Bedford, 
Nantucket, Newport, Fall River, Stonington, Providence, West Cambridge, Lexing- 
ton, Concord, and other pleasant places. 

Appendix. — The progress of steam during the last fifty years, and its beneficial 
consequences ; a few brief passages in relation to the eventful life of Capt. Sturgis, of 
the cutter Hamilton ; a ride to Plymouth, and some account of that town ; Castle 
Island, and the duels which have been fought in Boston harbor ; some account of the 
yachts in Boston and its vicinity, and many other interesting s\xbject,«!. 



^^ ^.ry of Cor,^^^^ 
18^ 



/ofv/ac 

BOSTON: 
PRINTED BY WILLIAM CHADWICK, 

No. IR, Fjxrukvnr, Strkkt. 

1848. 



PUBLISHED AT THK REQUEST OF SOME OF THE AUTHOR'S FRIENDS, 

AND 

RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 



BENJAMIN C. CLARK, ESQ. 



A native citizen of Boston, one of the earliest friends of yachting on the New England coast, 
an enterprising and successful merchant, and the best amateur pilot on the North shore : 



By his humble servant, the author. 



Entered according to Act of Congrefa, in the year 1S4S, by 

WILLIAM CBADWICK, 

la the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 



r^"- 






^A'^■ 



CONTENTS OF BOOK H. 



Title Page. 

Dedication. 

Phefatokt Remarks. 

letters from nahant. 
I. Nahant, its history, and its public and 
private buildings — its progress in population 
and refinement during the last fifty years — the 
first steamboat which ran to that peninsular, 
and to Hingham — some account of the pleasure 
parties which were in the habit of visiting Na- 
hant previous to 1800 — the sea-serpent, the ex- 
citement caused by its first appearance on our 
coast, Marshal Prince and his mast-head spy- 
glass, the first expedition fitted out to capture 
the monster, and Capt. Rich, who stuck a har- 
poon " about two feet" into it — the early friends 
of Nahant — .names of the owners of cottages — 
history of the rise, progress, and present condi- 
tion of the Nahant hotel — the Johnson family 
— health of Nahant — fatal accident to fishing 
parties — yachts, and the danger of yachting — an 
interesting account of a regatta — together with 
some extracts from letters from an intelligent 
gentleman at Nahant. 

II. Apple Island — the late Mr. Marsh — his 
romantic history, and his sufferings — destruction 
of his house by fire, &e. 

III. Deer Island — dancing parties — Captain 
Tewksbury, and his successful exertions in sav- 
ing the lives of some twenty-five persons — lib- 
eral rewards given by the Humane Society, for 
his philanthropic and efficient efforts — remarka- 
ble case of money -digging, at Money-Head Bluff, 



in 1824 — some account of the i-sland, and the 
public institutions there— the sea-wall — a brief 
historical account of the island. 

IV. Point Shirley and its vicinity — fatal at- 
tempt to cross the Gut, by an insane man with 
a horse and gig — the east point of the land — 
Chelsea, Lynn, Phillips's Beach, the Swamscott 
fishermen, the manner in which they dispose of 
their fish, &c.— the hotels— Salem, and the East 
India museum. 

LETTER FROM NEWBCRTPORT. 

Newburyport and its resources — Lord Timo- 
thy Dexter and his peculiarities — remarkable 
case of the rescue from drowning of a mother, 
by her own child, a girl of only twelve 3xars of 
age — poetry — Cape Ann. 

BOSTON AND ITS ENVIRONS. 

Hasty Sketches, in relation to some of the 
pleasant places in the surrounding country, and 
all alongshore. 

APPENDIX. 

A. The progress of steam during the last 
fifty years, and its beneficial consequences. 

B. A few brief passages in relation to the 
eventful life of Capt. Sturgis, of the cutter Ham- 
ilton. 

C. A ride to Plymouth — the new hotel — • 
Pilgrim Hall, and an account of the curiosities 
there— the Old Colony railroad, &c. 

Castle Island, and some of the duels 
which have been fought in Boston harbor. 
Yachts belonging to Boston. 



PREFATOKY REMARKS 



In submitting the second book of " Notes on the Sea-Shore" to his friends 
and the piibUc, the author considers it his duty to thank the gentlemen of 
the city press for the flattering notices they have bestowed upon the first 
part of his work, pubhshed several weeks since. He also returns his sin- 
cere thanks to such of his friends as have interested themselves in the sale 
of the work, by kind words and generous deeds. ' 

The publication of " Nahant, and other places on the North-Shore," 
has been delayed two or three weeks beyond the time we promised it ; but 
this is owing to the fact, that the author of the work has had to set nearly 
all the types, make up the pages, impose the forms, correct the proof- 
sheets, &.C. It is not always the case that the writer of a book can exe- 
cute the mechanical part of it : that labor, however — like almost every 
other — seems as nothing, "after one gets used to it." Type-setting is 
one of the most delightful and instructive pastimes a young fellow can 
enjoy ; and to an old one, it is decidedly more agreeable than the souud 
of bad music, vocal or instrumental, or the importunate duns of clamorous 
creditors. And then there is the thought that Franklin was a printer ! 

The matter in this work, with the exception of a few pages, is now for 
the first time published. Much of it was prepared two or three years ago ; 
but as the fashionable travelling season was pretty well over when we 
penned our letters to an old, and esteemed, and faithful friend in the city 
— we mean the editor of the Boston Post — we concluded to keep them 
from the public eye until another time ; and, finally, we decided upon 
publishing the whole series, with copious additions. And here we must 
be permitted to acknowledge our indebtedness to two kind friends at Na- 
hant for valuable contributions to the work. 

The object the writer of this work had in view, when he first decided 
upon publishing it, was two-fold. In the first place, he wanted employ- 



I'RKFATOllY KEMAKKS. 



ment, and hoped to make something by the enterprise : in the second, he 
was desirous of fnrni.sliing travellers and others with something Uke a 
comprehensive guide, to instruct and amuse them in their hours of leisure 
and relaxation from the cares and toils of business. The field was a new 
one — it had never been explored. We believe the letters and notes em- 
braced in the two works we have published — the one relating to the 
South-Shore, and the other to the North-Shore and Boston and its vicinity 
— will do this more effectually than has been done by any other work of 
the kind that has been previously given to the public. But, of the truth 
-of this remark readers themselves must be the judges. We are duly sen- 
sible that our sketches arc not so full and so perfect as they ought to be — 
or as we intend they shall be the next season ; but if they should prove 
acceptable at the present time, our object will have been attained, our 
wishes gratified, and our ambition to do better, on some future occasion, 
encouraged quite equal to our expectation. 

The sale our first pamphlet met with was quite encouraging ; and that 
now oflercd to the reading community, we think, will have a better run 
than the first, inasmuch as it is decidedly more interesting. The soil of 
the South-Shore, as a general thing, and in a literary point of view, is a 
hard one to work in, while that on the North, and in our own vicinity, is 
more prolific in rich incidents. 

With the subjects referred to in these pages we are somewhat familiar, 
but not so much so as we wish we were. Our acquaintance with most 
of the fashionable watering places in this country, from personal observa- 
tion, and of the popular routes travelled during the summer months, as- 
sisted by a pretty retentive memory of things seen and heard, will enable 
us, the next year, as we humbly trust, to extend our plan, so as to em- 
brace a description of many places beyond the limited sphere we have oc- 
cupied in the books here referred to. And to do this well, and success- 
fully, we shall gladly avail ourselves of such hints and suggestions as our 
friends may have the kindness to offer. In a multitude of counsel there 
is safety — at least the lawyers say so. 

The fashionable travelling season of the present year, as compared with 
the last — so fiir as regards Boston and its vicinity, especially — has been 
an unfavorable one. There has been a falling ofT of visiters at every hotel 
in the city, as we are informed, while the public houses on the sea-shore, 
with but few exceptions, have not done one half the business they did last 
year. Some of them indeed, we are assured, have been doing a losing 
business. This fact may be attributed to two causes — to the cold and 
rainy weather which prevailed in this quarter until about the middle of 
July, and to the pressine in the money market, which has made almost 
every prudent man feel as "poor as a church mouse," and to husband his 
resources with the utmost caution. 

In our account of Nahant — which, taken as a whole, (although Ave 
say it, who should not say it!) is probably the best sketch of that rock- 
bound peninsular extant. We have given several stories, from the recol- 
lection of friends, and have some others, which we shall make use of 
hereafter. There is one we shall mention now. When Holman first went 



PKEFATORY RIOMARKS. Vll 



to Nahant he was, like all other dashing young fellows, fond of a boat. 
One morning, when the wind was blowing a gale from the NE., he ven- 
tured out alone in a dory, with two oars, to catch a few fish. He had 
proceeded but a short distance from the steamboat-landing and the rocks, 
when he began to feel the full violence of the wind and the sea. Holman 
found it difficult to account for the sudden and startling change in the 
elements of wind and water, and attempted to put back, but it was too 
late. His little boat was tossed up and down, without mercy. First one 
oar went, and then the other, and the poor fellow was helpless. He held 
on to the sides of the boat with the strength of a christian. Up, up, up ! 
down, down, down ! went the dory — and the stomach of our friend be- 
gan to reach toward the land. But on he drifted, fast nearing the shore 
in Chelsea, in which direction the wind was driving him at a furious rate. 
A dangerous ledge of rocks was ahead. His critical situation was dis- 
covered by Mr. Caleb Johnson and some other Nahant fishermen, who, 
after consultation, concluded to risk their own lives to save that of as 
worthy a young man as had ever lived among them. Off they started, 
and after a severe struggle with the waves, they succeeded in rescuing 
Holman from almost inevitable destruction, within twenty rods of the 
most dangerous ledge of rocks in that vicinity. 

The public's humble servant, J. L. HOMER. 



Boston, September Aih, 1848. 



THE NORTH SHORE. 



LETTER I. 

Nahant, its history, and its public and private 
buildings — its progress in population and rejine- 
nient during the last fifty years — the first steam- 
boat which ran to that peninsula, and to Iling- 
ham— some account of the pleasure parties which 
were in the habit of visiting Nahant previous to 
1 800— <Ae sea-serpent, the excitement caused by 
its first appearance on our coast. Marshal Prince 
and his mast-head spy-glass, the first expedition 

fitted out in our waters to capture the monster, 
and Capt. Rich, who stuck a harpoon " about two 

feet" into it — the early friends of Nahant, Hon. T. 
II. Perkins, Dr. E. II. Bobbins, Frederick Tudor, 
Esq. and the late Cornelius C'oolidge — names of 
tJie owners of cottages — history of the rise, pro- 
gress, and present condition of the Nahant hotel 
— the Johnson family— health of Nahant— fat^d 
accident to fishing parties — yachting. 

Nahant, September, 1845. 

I HAVE been paying a " fljing visit" to 
this popular watering place, and have 
been highly delighted with every thing 
that has passed under my observation. I 
have had an opportunity to examine all the 
prominent points of attraction here — the 
Swallow's Cave, Irene's Grotto, the Pulpit 
Rock, Castle Rock, &c. ; and have been 
much pleased and instructed by my inves- 
tigations. The hotel is yet well patronised, 
notwithstanding the evenings have been 
somewhat cool for a week past. The ta- 
bles are full at dinner every day, and the 
gay and fashionable company reminds me 
2 



of the great hotels at Saratoga, where the 
clatter of knives and forks, and plates, is 
always sure to drown the human voice. 
The season will last only two or three 
weeks longer. Thus far, I am happy to 
learn, our friend Drew has done an excel- 
lent business, his house having been 
crowded with visiters the whole summer, 
A large portion of his company came from 
New- York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and 
places farther south. I am particularly 
pleased with " mine host," on account of 
his easy, modest, gentlemanly deportment: 
he conducts the affairs of his immense es- 
tablishment so quietly that you would 
hardly think that any thing was going on, 
until you saw the tables spread for dinner, 
and then your senses are regaled with the 
smell of every delicacy the season affords. 

Such a man is a treasure in a public es- 
tablishment. Holman,of the United States 
Hotel, is of the same stamp ; and I cannot 
take a dish of chowder at Nahant without 
thinking of that excellent fellow. And 
here permit me to say a word complimen- 
tary to Mrs. Drew, a lady as well calcula- 
ted to give general satisfaction to her visi- 
ters as any one with whom I am ac- 
quainted. While she endeavors to make 
every one feel happy and at home, she is 
careful that her boarders do not crowd 
upon each other, or infringe upon her own 
rights as lady of the house. 

Mr. Drew's success has been flattering 
i beyond his expectations, but not beyond 



10 



NOTES ON THi: SEA-SHORB ; 



his deserts, for his sole ambition appears 
to be to please every one — man, woman 
and child — who honors him with a call. 
To an old man, like myself, it is a most 
agreeable sight to look upon the groups of 
gay and happy children that are always 
found at the Nahant Hotel. But I need 
not talk to you, who are (or ought to be) a 
grandfather, about children ! Let that pass. 

I now come to a point which will inter- 
est you. While entering my name in the 
book of the hotel, who should I discover 
seated at the desk, as second in command, 
but our young friend Morgan,* formerly 
of the Bay State Democrat, a gentleman 
of intelligence, agreeable manners, and 
every way fitted to assist in the manage- 
ment of a first rate hotel. For the honor 
of the craft, I was pleased to take a tum- 
bler of cold water with him. We drank 
your health in that innocent beverage, and 
that of the editorial profession generally. 
How is it that editors are so much attach- 
ed to good hotels, and to the proprietors of 
them ? I have sometimes thought that 
they cherished for each other a warm, an 
inseparable friendship. It is well that it 
is so, for a respectable press car\ do much 
to assist hotel keepers, if it is so disposed. 
I should like to be an editor myself, if it 
were not for a certain dread I have of the 
smell of gunpowder and printers' ink, and 
of bad debts in particular. 

Mr. Alonzo Lewis, the poet, of Lynn, 
has published a neat little pamphlet in re- 
lation to Nahant, which I consider enti- 
tled to a respectful and complimentary 
notice. It contains a minute and accurate 
description of all the prominent points at 
this watering place, and seven well execu- 
ted wood engravings representing those 
points. These pictorial illustrations are 
often exceedingly entertaining and instruc- 
tive. 

(* Note— July, 1848.) This gentleman 
has recently taken the Gloucester House, 
at Cape Ann, and we hear golden reports 
of his popularity and success. Mr. Drew 
has found an excellent substitute for him 
in Mr. Murdock. 



From the historical data furnished by 
Mr. Lewis, it appears that, at the first set- 
tlement of Lynn, in 1629, the Indians had 
possession of Nahant, and in 1630 their 
chief, Poquannum, sold it to Thomas Dex- 
ter, a Lynn farmer, for a suit of clothes. 
In 1631, it was used as a corn and sheep 
pasture by the people of Lynn and Salem. 
About this time wolves were plenty there. 
In 1635, encouragement was given to fish- 
ermen. In 1652, Wenepoyken, the Lynn 
sagamore, mortgaged Nahant to Nicholas 
Davidson, of Charlestown, for 20 pounds 
sterling ; and, in a lawsuit which grew 
out of this transaction, Mr. Dexter prose- 
cuted the town of Lynn, but the court de- 
cided against his claim. In 1688, Robert 
Page, of Boston, was prosecuted for sailing 
from Nahant on the Lord's day with a load 
of wood. About the year 1700 foxes be- 
came numerous and troublesome in Na- 
hant, as well as in Lynn. In 1706 a new 
division of lands was made at Nahant, 
under which the present proprietors claim. 
As late as 1803 there were but three houses 
in Nahant, which were occupied by Qua- 
kers, " who kept no hotels, but accommo- 
dated a few boarders, and occasionally 
made a fish chowder, for parties who visi- 
ted Nahant from Boston and other places." 
As Nahant projects several miles into the 
sea, many vessels have been wrecked 
there in stormy weather : Mr. Lewis gives 
the names and dates. But you must read 
his book, to which I am indebted for the 
above facts. 

The Nahant Hotel, with the location and 
appointments of which almost every fash- 
ionable traveller is acquainted, was built 
in 1820. The original cost of the land, 
hotel, and out-buildings, was about $60,000 
— which was divided into shares of $100 
each. It was carried on several years after 
its completion, with very little advantage 
to its proprietors, however, by the late 
James Magee, Esq., a gentleman of fine 
epicurean taste, and by Messrs. Johnson 
& Durand. In 1825, — the original stock- 
holders being a little " sick of their bar- 
gain," having never received a dividend 



OR RANDOM SKETCHES. 



11 



upon their investment, — the hotel was sold 
at public auction, at the depreciated price 
of 14,000. The purchasers were Col. Tho- 
mas H. Perkins and Dr. Edward H. Rob- 
bins, who enlarged its dimensions consid- 
erably, by adding to it the easterly wing, 
which is now used as the principal dining 
room and for lodgers. This improvement 
cost several thousand dollars. Messrs. 
Perkins and Robbins sold the hotel again, 
in 1842, to its present proprietor, Mr. Drew, 
for 25,000. This gentleman made a great 
bargain. Owing to a combination of cir- 
cumstances, it is now valued at more than 
double that sum. 

After Messrs. Perkins and Robbins be- 
came the purchasers of the hotel it was 
carried on several years for their account, 
by ditTerent individuals, — one year by Mr. 
F. Hutchins, — neither ol whom succeeded 
so well as the proprietors expected they 
would, with perhaps one exception. In 
1833, Mr. R. W. Holman, now of the Uni- 
ted States Hotel, became the agent of the 
proprietors, for whom he acted until about 
1840, driving a moderately prosperous bus- 
iness at all limes. During one season, un- 
der his management, I am informed, the 
hotel cleared about six thousand dollars in 
three months — a pretty fair business this ! 

Mr. Holman was succeeded in the agen- 
cy of the proprietors by Mr. Drew, who, 
in 1842, as I have before stated, became 
sole proprietor of the establishment, and, 
since that time, has been blessed with a 
run of prosperity which must have been 
highly flattering to his feelings and grate- 
ful to his purse. The present season has 
been successful beyond any previous one. 
The hotel, its amusements and convenien- 
ces, have often been described. I know 
of no place that ofl"ers better views of the 
sea, and of the adjacent towns, than this 
delightful spot, or one where an invalid 
would be likely to find a purer or more 
bracing atmosphere. On two occasions; 
ten or twelve years ago, I was effectually 
cured of severe attacks of cholera morbus, 
by sojourning at Nahant a day or two each 
time. I may add, that the company which 



usually assembles here embraces as much 
of intellect, good manners, kind feelings, 
and amiable social bearing, as you will 
find at any other watering place in the 
country. The sturdiest democrat in the 
land need not be afraid to venture here 
with his wife and daughters, while the 
proudest aristocrat must be satisfied with 
the facilities and comforts which are acces 
sible to all. 

I believe my first visit to Nahant dates 
back twenty-five years or more. I remem- 
ber it as well as though it were but yester- 
day. With some thirty others, in the year 
1819, I was a passenger in the steamboat 
Eagle, Capt. Wood — the first boat, I be- 
lieve, that ever ran to Nahant regularly. 
She made three trips a week, that year, to 
Nahant, and three to Hingham. Capt. W. 
was a gentleman of the old school — a man 
of polished manners, good conversational 
powers, and hospitable feeling : there are 
but few of that stamp now in existence — 
the race is fast disappearing, and, I am 
apprehensive, will soon be extinct ! 

Capt. Wood had commanded a Liverpool 
packet for many years out of Boston, but 
now had "fallen into the sear and yellow 
leaf," as regarded both his property and 
health. The Eagle was usually three 
hours in making her trip to Nahant, and the 
same time back ; and she was considered 
a wonderfully swift boat. Six hours only 
upon the water out of nine 1 * What do 
you think of that, my friend? What will 
Capt. Beal say to it? 

About the time I speak of, Mr. Frederick 
Rouillard kept a hotel at Nahant— near 
where Mr. Rice now keeps. He was a 
very competent man, and " while he had 
money he had friends ;" but unfortunately 
Rouillard had a fsst trotting horse, called 
Buckskin, and a few unprincipled social 
companions made sad work with his funds, 
on the turf and elsewhere. The few 

(* Note— July, 1848.) The same dis- 
tance is now performed in an hour. See 
Appendix, for an article in relation to the 
progress of steam within the last fifty 
years — A. 



12 



NOTES ON THE SEA-SHORE 



last years of his life were passed in penu- 
ry. He was a generous hearted French- 
man ; and he will be remembered by ma- 
ny of our aged citizens, as the keeper of 
the Julien House, at the corner of Congress 
and Milk-streets — by men who, when the 
young blood ran frolic through their veins, 
acted pretty much in the same way that 
many of the young men of the present day 
do. It was the favored resort of our fash- 
ionable merchants, and sustained a high 
character as a restorateur, where every 
delicacy of the season could be had, served 
up in the best style, at short notice. As a 
soup and steak establishment there have 
been but few like it in Boston since : it 
was popular, also, as a club-house, and 
was patronised by the aristocracy as well 
as the middling classes of society. I have 
often heard Rouillard amuse his patrons 
with anecdotes relating to the habits and 
peculiarities of men in high life, and of a 
few who had more money than brains. I 
remember one particularly, and could give 
many others, if the game were worth the 
candle.* 

* One forenoon, (as the story went) a 
gentleman, who owned a princely estate, 
called upon him, and desired to take a 
a peep into his larder, as he intended to 
give a dinner party the next day to half a 
dozen friends, for whom he had a high re- 
gard. He soon cast his eyes upon two 
pairs of canvass-back ducks. Smacking 
his lips, with the relish of a genuine disci- 
ple of Epicurus, he exclaimed — " Those 
are the very things I want ! — what shall 
I pay you for them V " Why, my good 
friend, (replied Rouillard) they cost me 
three dollars a pair ; if it will be any ac- 
commodation to' you, I will let you have 
them at the cost ; liut I could not well af- 
ford to cook them for you, and find the 
trimmings, short of foar dollars a pair." 
The old gentleman, then supposed to be 
worth two or three millions of dollars, spent 
more than half an hour in attempting to 
beat Rouillard down ; and the best offer 
he would make for these delicious birds, 
the very things he wanted for his select 
dinner party, was one dollar and a half a 
pair, or three dollars for the lot, without 
trimmings — just one half of the original 
cost. So far as regarded wealth, this gen- 
tleman was a bad specimen of human na- 



While smoking my cigar, in the cool of 
the evening, on one of the rocks that over- 
look the Ocean, near the eastern point of 
this peninsula, my mind is often carried 
back to the days of our good mothers and 
grandmothers, who had no steamboats to 
convey them to Nahant, but who came 
here, with their husbands and friends, 
plainly attired, in a humble sail-boat, 
bringing with them all the necessary im- 
plements for cooking, to have a clever, 
out-and-out, rational jollification. I have 
often heard my mother describe these 
scenes — and she was certainly one who 
moved in the "respectable circles of so- 
ciety." After landing the females on the 
rocks, the men would proceed to the fish- 
ing ground, distant only one or two miles, 
where a supply of cod and haddock was 
always at hand. On their return to the 
rocks, with their fish well cleaned, they 
would find the women prepared to receive 
them — with their tables neatly spread, for 
luncheon or for dinner — their fires brightly 
burning, and their pots and pans ready to 
make the fish sweat. The men would 
throw themselves carelessly on the grass, 
or lounge about the rocks, while the wo- 
men made the chowders and fried the fish, 

ture, for his gold benefitted no one. He 
loved money so passionately, as this fact 
shows, that he was hardly decent in his 
expenditures, even on occasions when 
some extra eff'ort seemed to be necessary 
to keep up appearances. He was not so 
bad, however, as a creature we once saw 
at a subscription dinner party, at one of 
our fashionable hotels — a man of fortune, 
now (August, 1848) in active life, who, at 
the close of the festivities, filled his hat 
with almonds, raisins and oranges. The 
colored gentlemen in attendance rebuked 
him gently, and one of the committee of 
arrangements made him disgorge his ill- 
gotten spoils, but not without pugilistic re- 
sistance on his part. It appeared that his 
daughter had issued invitations for a party 
the next evening. As the gentlemen dro- 
vers at Brighton say, " some pork will boil 
so !" Indeed, as has often been said, this 
is a great, an extensive country — made up 
of all sorts of people, some of whom are 
too mean to inhabit it without serious dis- 
advantage to the rest. 



OR RANDOM SKETCHES. 



13 



Dinner being ready, a horn was sounded 
and the wanderers came in. What fol- 
lowed, it were quite as easy to imagine 
as describe, for, in those days, the ladies 
would drink and enjoy a generous glass of 
punch, or a modest dash of gin and water, 
as heartily as their lords. Mr. Gough, the 
invincible, had not then been abroad : li- 
quors were not drugged in those days — 
that invention, or discovery, is of modern 
date, and much practised in the city of 
Boston as well as in New- York. The dis- 
tillers will have to sweat for it ! 

Three or four hours having been spent 
in innocenthilarity, in dancing and singing, 
and talking about tender infants, the party, 
after partaking of an early cup of tea. would 
get under way for home. If the wind was 
fair, they would have a pleasant sail and 
a speedy return ; if it was calm, they 
would be compelled to do — what you and 
I have often done, colonel : — 

" Dance all night, 



" And go home with the girls in the morning." 
In 1817, his majesty the sea-serpent ap- 
peared for the first time in the waters of 
Massachusetts bay. I remember this fact 
well. His advent at Nahant produced an 
intense, a fearful excitement among all 
classes in Boston. The late Marshal 
Prince seized his "mast-head spy-glass," 
and took " several observations," the result 
of which he published in the Columbian 
Centinel, then edited by his friend, the late 
Major Russell. Mr. Prince was a most 
worthy and estimable old gentleman — a 
little near-sighted, and at times somewhat 
passionate and enthusiastic ; in a word, he 
■was just the man to see the sea-serpent ! 
He discerned the teeth and tongue of the 
monster most distinctly — almost with the 
" naked eye" ; but when he brought his 
telescope to bear, oh, ye gods, what dis- 
coveries he made ! The eyes of the ser- 
pent were distinctly seen ; and, when his 
majesty condescended to extend his tongue 
for the purpose of lapping his huge and 
illustrious jaws, after eating a barrel of 
mackerel, there were no bounds to the ec- 
stacy of Marshal Prince's delight. The 



bumps on his back exceeded those on the 
back of the cruel Richard, of English his- 
tory, some dozen or twenty. 

I shall never forget the excitement pro- 
duced by the first accounts received in 
Boston of the arrival of the sea-serpent in 
our lower harbor, nor the consequences 
which grew out of that excitement. The 
whole story, at this distant day, — now al- 
most thirty years, — would be deemed in- 
credible. Salem witchcraft was no touch 
to it, in one respect. There was not an 
old lady at the North-End who did not 
" shake in her shoes," and some of the 
clergy and many respectable citizens, par- 
took of this unamiable and childish feeling. 
It was even feared, by some of the most 
timid, that, if he once condescended to 
leave his " native element," — as the ship- 
builders and their accommodating scribes 
call simple salt water — he would overtop 
all the houses in the city, occasionally 
peeping into the scuttle of some gentle- 
man in the vicinity of Mount Vernon, for 
the purpose of getting a titbit, or spiriting 
away some Irish maiden lady, of fair pro- 
portions and good face. He was not a for- 
tune hunter. Heaven bless him for that ; 
for the home of the sea-serpent is paradise 
itself when compared with that of an ava- 
ricious muckworm, who will neither lend 
to the Lord nor help his own suffering fel- 
low creatures. 

Depend upon it, my dear friend, there 
was a terrible excitement in Boston and 
its vicinity when the sea-serpent first visi- 
ted these shores. The affidavits published 
at the time on the subject, from fishermen 
and the crews of Eastern coasters, would 
fill a volume of five hundred octavo pages. 
Expeditions to capture the monster were 
fitted out, without number, from Boston, 
Salem, Marblehead, Gloucester, and other 
places on both the North and South shores. 
The prices of whaleboals and harpoons 
fluctuated, like those of railroad and other 
fancy stocks at the present day. 

Capt. Rich, an enterprising and experi- 
enced seaman, commanded the first boat 



14 



NOTES ON THE SEA-SHOIIK 



that was fitted out.* Much was expected 
of this expedition ; but it turned out to be a 

* Note. The sea-serpent first made his 
appearance on our coast in 1817, which 
was the " '^\v\\\ year lor seeing him." Me 
moved about Hoslon bay, in almost every 
direction, sticking chieliy to the North 
sliore, the waters near Cape Ann, Hall-way 
rock, Nahant, &c. Sharks and horse- 
mackerel were constantly in attendance on 
his majesty. Bulletins in relation to his 
movements were issued from (Gloucester 
during the travelling season, and published 
in the Boston Ga/ette, Centinel, and Palla- 
dium, then the leading journals of the city, 
hut now all defunct, and their editors all 
dead. The Centinel of that year, lOh Sep- 
tember, said — " This notorious animal still 
remains in our waters, and all attempts to 
take him have been abandoned." 

In 1818, his snukeship made his appear- 
ance again, and was »i\an by huiulreds of 
respectable individuals, who described 
him, very minutely — as he looked lo them 
— mostly under oath. On the inth of Au- 
gust, of that year, Capt. ]{ich's expedition 
was fitted out from Gloucester, and con- 
sisted of a large boat and two whale-boats, 
all fully maimed, it was this expedition 
which was said to have encountered him 
ofl Squam. Capt. Rich throw a harpoon 
into him "about (wo feet,'' but his majesty 
broke loose and escaped ! Capt. R. and 
the crews of his boats all conscientiously 
believed that the creature struck was the 
veritable serpent. The captain, in his ac- 
count of the all'air, used this language : — 

" We struck him fairly, but the harpoon 
" got loose, and ho has not been seen 
" since ; and I fear the wound he received 
" will make him more cautious how he 
" approaches these shores." 

But this severe stroke did not finish his 
majesty. In 1819 he appeared again, and 
continued on the coast throughout the sum- 
mer. About this lime the infidels of the 
south began to laugh at the yankees, and 
to insinuate that ihey were too credulous 
on this subject. The Centinel resented 
the insult, and threw back in their teeth 
the burning words " southern scoflers !" 
That Major Russell was quite imlignant, 
will be seen by the annexed extract, from 
the Centinel of September of that year: — 

" It is, perhaps, owing lo his established 
" harmlessuess that he has not long since 
" been taken. Ihul he exhibited the fero- 
" city at first attributed to liira, or occasion - 
'• ed the death of a single seaman or fish- 



dead failure, notwithstanding a temporary 
shed, of extensive dimensions, was pui up 
in the vicinity of Faneuil Hall for the re- 
ception of his majesty and the accommo- 
dation of the universal public. Since that 
time he has been seen on our coast and 
"elsewhere," periodically; but, although 
frequently pursued, he has never been ta- 
ken. Every summer you will hear of the 
capture of one of his half-grown children, 
in the shape of a mackerel shark, or some 
other large fish; but, as yet, nothing has 
been heard of the destruction of his majesty 
or his queen. The latter was last seen in 
one of the inlets on the coast of North Ca- 
rolina, feeding upon a dead colored man — 
supposed to have been an unfortunate slave. 

Before concluding this prolific and highly 
interesting topic, I would remark that it 
has been insinuated — with what truth I 
am unable to say — that the people of Na- 
hant themselves, the hotel keepers, or some 
wag of an editor for them, often raised the 
cry of sea-serpent I when, in fact, his ma- 
jesty was more than a thousand miles ofl". 
I plead guilty to a part of the indictment. 
And all this was done to induce unsus- 
pecting people to flock to Nahant, to see 
the monster wag his tail and eat mackerel, 
while they themselves ate chowder and 
drank old wine. 

But I have said quite as much about the 
sea-serpent as will be acceptable. It is 
not important that I should give you my 
opinion about his probable existence. 

It is well known that there are excellent 
fishing grounds near Nahant, and that, con- 
sequently, there are many boats off there 
daily through the summer months. There 
is excellent fishing from the rocks, for tau- 
taug and perch ; and other kinds of fish 
have been known to be taken there. A 
quarter of a mile from the shore cod and 

" erman, the whole coast would have been 
" alive with his ailversaries, andoursouth- 
" ern scotiers, if they pleased, have long 
" since seen his skeleton decorating the 
" hall of our Linnean society." (?) — In 
the expressive language of Santa Anna, 
God and liberty ! 



OR RANDOM SKETCHES. 



15 



haddock are always plenty, Tautaug are 
found on rocky shores, on both sides of 
Boston hay ; sometimes they are plenty 
at diiferent points of Phillips's Beach. I 
have never found them plenty any where. 
I remember to have caught ten or twelve, 
one morning, from Black Rock, off Co- 
hasset. 

It is not to l)e wondered at that acci- 
dents sometimes occur to fishing boats in 
this vicinity. 1 remember one with unaf- 
fected grief, for the sufferers, eight in num- 
ber, were my personal friends. In Augast 
1831, I believe, during one of those sudden 
squalls from the west which are so com- 
mon in our bay in mid-summer, the boat 
Bunker Hill, having on board a fishing 
party of gentlemen, chiefly young mer- 
chants, was suddenly sunk, and only one 
person left to tell the melancholy tale. 
Most of them left families. A sad warn- 
ing this to young men who venture upon 
the water, to look out for squalls ! 

(Note— July, 1848.) We are indebted 
to a friend, who was born at Nahant, and 
always lived there, for some interesting 
memoranda, which he penned at our re- 
quest, and for which he has our thanks. 

As late as 1803, there were only five 
houses at Nahant, — one owned by Mr. 
Breed, then the wealthiest man in the 
place, and one by Mr. Hood ; both of these 
families were Quakers. There were two 
owned by the Johnsons, and another which 
stood where the building known as " the 
castle" now stands, which was the first 
public house in the place, and which was 
first kept by a man named Leonard, and 
then by a Mr. Johnson, but no connexion 
of the present family of that name, which 
has spread over the peninsula so rapidly. 
Mr. J. Rice kept the first public house of 
any account at Nahant, first in the old 
Breed mansion, which was soon torn down, 
and afterwards in the building erected in 
its place, where he has done a successful 
business for twenty years ; and about the 
time here referred to the Breed estate was 
sold to the present occupant, and is known 



as Whitney's hotel — the Breeds having 
left the peninsula, and removed to Lynn, 
where the remnant of that family still re- 
side. The Hood and Breed families were 
farmers, but they were always ready to 
wait upon visiters, and to furnish them with 
the comforts of life when required to do so. 
The Johnson family were all fishermen. 
Joseph and Caleb, the heads of the present 
numerous tribe that now dwell at Nahant, 
were both married young, and carried on 
the fishing business with a degree of vigor 
and enterprise that is rarely equalled : they 
have both raised up large and respectable 
families, as might be supposed from this 
fact. The late Samuel Hammond, Esq., 
when at Nahant, one day called at the 
house of Caleb, and inquired for Mrs. 
Johnson, who has always been known by 
the agreeable sobriquet of Aunt Olive, and 
said he wanted to see the woman who had 
brought up seven sons, and not one bad 
fellow among the lot. But what is very 
remarkable, Caleb and his wife are still 
living ; and their seven sons and three 
daughters have all been well brought up, 
and are also living, not a death having 
ever occurred in the family. And what is 
more — last thanksgiving day, 1847, they 
were all seated at one table, fifty-six in 
number, including children and grand 
children. A good story this, for Nahant: 
it speaks well for the health of its resident 
population.* 

Colonel Thomas H. Perkins early turned 
his attention to Nahant, as a place highly 
favorable for a summer residence. The 
late Cornelius Coolidge, Esq., also did 
much towards building it up, by buying 
land and erecting cottages, and then sell- 
ing them ; he followed this business sev- 

* But here is something equally start- 
ling, which was cut from one of the news- 
papers of the city a few days since by a 
comely widow lady of our acquaintance — 
" Died, at Wexford, Canada West, Mr. 
Daniel Aiken, aged 120, having been mar- 
ried seven times : he left .570 grandchil- 
dren and great-grandchildren — 300 boys 
and 270 girls." 



IG 



NOTKS ON THE SEA-SHORE ; 



eral years, until he had built and sold as 
many as twelve or fifteen. Frederick Tu- 
dor, Esq., was the next to take hold, his 
object being to beautify the peninsula ; he 
caused several thousand trees to be plant- 
ed, all over the place, which now make a 
very beautiful appearance. In fact, this 
gentleman has done more towards improv- 
ing the looks of Nahant, than all the rest 
of the summer residents combined. 

The names of the persons who own cot- 
tages at Nahant, as far as the writer recol- 
lects, are as follows, viz. : — T. II. Perkins, 
T. G. Gary, F. Tudor, the heirs of Mrs. S. 
G. Perkins, Mrs. Phillips, E. D. Phillips, 
F. H. Gray, Charles Amory, Mrs. Gardner 
Green, the heirs of John Hubbard, tiie heirs 
of S. Hammond, David Sears, E. H. Rob- 
bins, Wm. Amory, Mrs. Prescott, Crown- 
inshield, T. B. Curtis, Misses Inches, T. 
Whelmore, B. C. Clark, Mr. Lodge, the 
heirs of N. V. Russell, and Mrs. Rice. The 
house owned by the heirs of the late Jo- 
seph Peabody, of Salem, was formerly a 
hotel : it was built by C. Coolidge, and 
was christened in handsome style, by that 
gentleman and the keeper of it, at its 
opening. We remember that several gen- 
tlemen connected with the city press were 
present at the table. It was altogether an 
agreeable occasion. 

With regard to the sea-serpent, one word. 
The old fisliermen of Nahant and Phillips's 
Beach, (very few of them certainly) do not 
believe in the existence of sucli a creature ; 
but the prevailing opinion of experienced 
men is, that the sea-serpent, said to have 
been so often seen in that vicinity, was 
nothing more than a horse-mackerel, fro- 
licing in the water. These fish have a 
peculiar mode of swimming — by standing 
almost perpendicular in the water, and 
moving alongvery majestically — making a 
wake as large as a steamer for a mile or 
so, and then again ;issuming their natural 
position, and moving along without scarcely 
making a ripple. 

In relation to the health of Nahant we 
have something to say. We will go back 
for forty years, and take an average of the 



people, including visiters, which would not 
fall short of three hundred yearly : in the 
whole of that time the deaths have not 
been over twelve adults, and perhaps as 
many children, which is equal to one every 
year in a population of 12,000. There 
have been three accidents there : one was 
to a man who was driving a team — he fell, 
struck his head against a rock, and died 
immediately; he had two small children 
with him, who ran to tell the story of their 
father's death. The second was to an 
Irishman, who was killed by lightning in 
Mr. Stephen Codraan's barn. The third 
occurred to a party of young gentlemen 
fram Boston, who were surveying the rocks 
round Little Nahant : one of them loosen- 
ed some rocks, when one rolled upon his 
breast, and crushed him so badly that he 
died soon after he had been conveyed in 
a boat to the Nahant hotel. On the whole, 
we think the like of this cannot be found 
on the habitable globe. 

There is one church at Nahant, which 
is supplied by preachers, of all denomina- 
tions, who may happen to be on a visit 
there and invited to preach. The sum of 
S15 is allowed for each sermon ; and this 
is more tlian enough to pay for a week's 
board at the hotel. 

Among the boat accidents off Nahant 
that which occurred to the Tiger, seven or 
eight years ago, is deserving of special 
mention. She went over in a squall and 
sunk, with six young gentlemen, all of 
whom were, under Providence, miracu- 
lously saved by B. C. Clark, Esq. in the 
Raven. Well may that gentleman feel 
proud of his little craft and her exploits. 



l;^^ Since our article about Nahant was 
put in type, an old friend at that peninsula, 
to whom we had loaned the manuscript of 
it — with a request that he would do us the 
favor to read it — has made some valuable 
suggestions,and, also at our request, has sent 
us a communication, with permission to 
make such use of it as we pleased. We 



on RANDOM SKETCHES. 



17 



have availed ourselves of some of his con- 
tributions, in a condensed form. 

The first private decked boat ever moor- 
ed at Nahant for the summer was the Mer- 
maid, of 12 tons— this was in 1832 or '33. 
She remained two summers, and was then 
sold to William P. Winchester, Esq, who 
kept her until the Northern Light was 
launcheci, when he parted with her. She 
is still running, and is as pretty as ever — 
as "good as new." 

The next yacht was the Raven, a swift 
and beautiful sprite of the wave, of 12 tons, 
and is owned by Benjamin C. Clark, Esq., 
under whose direction she was built. She 
took the place of the Mermaid in 1835 or 
'36, and is still at Nahant. Like the splen- 
did Northern Liglit of Col. Winchester — 
than which a more finished and powerful 
yacht, of her size, never graced the Ocean 
— the Raven has done good service for her 
owner, and won numerous laurels, which 
she bears as gracefully in her beak at the 
present time as she did when they were 
first acquired. We refer the reader to a 
well-written account of one of the suc- 
cessful efforts of the Raven, from the pen 
of a friend, in another page. 

The third was the Susan, of 18 tons, 
owned by Mr. Lowell. She came soon 
after the Raven, and was parted with at 
the end of the season : she now belongs to 
Mr. Drew. The fourth yacht that had 
moorings for the whole season was the Av- 
on, of 1 1 tons, a pretty boat and a fast one. 
Afterwards came the Brenda, of 30 tons, 
owned by Mr. David Sears, jr. Next and 
last was the Cloud, of 22 tons, owned by 
J. H. Gray, Esq., vi^hich took her moorings 
at the close of the last summer, and proves 
to be not only a very handsome and com- 
fortable boat, but a good sailer. 

The Foam, which is moored nearest the 
steam-boat wharf, is about four years old, 
24 tons, and is owned by Mr. Jonathan 
Johnson, who allows her to take out par- 
ties during the summer. She is one of the 
swiftest, and at the same time one of the 
most weatherly vessels of her class in the 
bay, and a seat in her cabin, with Mr. Jon- 



athan at the helm, is about the safest place 
that can be found on the ocean. 

And while on the subject of yachts be- 
longing to Nahant, we may be permitted 
to extend our remarks to Phillips's Beach- 

At Swamscott, there is no private yacht 
— save the Breeze, which is owned by 
William IL Boardman, Esq., as clever a 
specimen of human nature as ever sailed 
a boat in a stiff bree/e ; and she is there 
only occasionally. She is a good craft, of 
about 45 tons. 

The fishing schooners of Swamscott 
are superior vessels. The Woodside, the 
Stars and Stripes, and the Jane, are parti- 
cularly swift, and the others are " not 
slow." 

The coast, from the Ocean House to the 
eastward, for three or four miles, (coast of 
Sumatra, some call it) is quite pretty, and 
in a stiff norther afl'ords a good lee for fish- 
ing and boat-sailing. It is a good neigh- 
borhood for codfish. 

Tinker's Island, off Marblehead Neck, 
is a very romantic spot, but is rarely visi- 
ted except by fishermen ; two or three 
times each summer, perhaps, will be seen 
there a party from Nahant. It is divided 
from the Neck by a channel of half a mile, 
but at low tide a bar of sand and rocks is 
visible nearly across. There is a house 
for wrecked seamen on the island. 

Nahant, August, 1848. 

Dear Shade : I have yours of the 11th, 
and have read the manuscript with plea- 
sure. Tiie touch at the sea-serpent is par- 
ticularly happy ; but 1 should have han- 
dled that " ancient and fishliko" humbug 
with more severity. You have talked with 
a good many fishermen; but did you ever 
find an intelligent one that ever saw the 
creature? I never did — nor one that be- 
lieved in its existence. 

During the past sixteen summers, I have 
crossed from Boston to Nahant, and from 
Nahant to Boston, about twelve hundred 
times. Each year, when August came — 
the witching time for the sea-serpent — the 
places where the mackerel "most do con- 
congregate" were visited by horse mack- 
erel. Some of these fish are very large — 
and when the sea has been without a rip- 
ple, I have seen its leaden surface show 



18 



NOTES ON THE SEA-SIIORE ; 



the track of a bis; one to the extent of sev- 1 
enty feet, in a manner that would deceive { 
the keenest eye. But you liave seen all ' 
this — and have therefore just as surely 
seen the sea-serpent as I have ! ! 

I believe you will tind that Capt. Rich j 
captured a horse-mackerel of 17 or 18 feet, 
and that a place near Fort-hill, (and not 
Faneuil Hall) was prepared for what the 
captain truly said was the only sea-snake 
he couhl lind for the people. It was un- 
derstood, at one time, tliat some gentlemen 
owned a lari^e property, prospectively, in 
the sea-serpent ! 

Touching the inhabitants of Nahant, the 
man, above all others— as you have inti- 
mated — lieserving unqualiiied praise, is 
Mr. Tudor, who has not only clone won- 
ders, on his own place, but has, in the 
kindest manner, and with most excellent 
judii'ment, pointed out to his neighbors the 
fruits of his own experience, and freely and 
gratuitously profiered them the means of 
encompassing the same advantages. Mr. 
Coolidge, also, did a great deal towards 
building up Nahant, as you have men- 
tioned. 

In your notice of yachting, do not forget 
to introduce the Northern Light, and her 
kind, generous, and gentlemanly owner: — 
just ask those who know the colonel well, 
and they will tell you more good of him 
than I have time to record. 

There was a Doctor Eastman who prac- 
ticed at Nahant and Lynn for two or three 
years, and who was much respected. A 
few months ago, (as 1 heard the story) he 
made a post-mortem examination of a body 
in a bail condition, ami having a scratch 
upon one of his hantis he became poisoned. 
He w'as pretty well satisllod that his life 
was lost, and called in several professional 
friends, who agreed with him in opinion, 
when, with the utmost iirmness, he called 
on those around him and bade them an af- 
fectionate farewell ; but he soon afterwards 
lett for Ahiine, where his connexions and 
early friends resided. He was an excel- 
lent man, anil therefore entitled to the tri- 
bute of a kind remembrance. 

I am glad to see you speak well of Mr. 
Drew, for both he and his wife deserve the 
very handsome notice you have given 
them ; and it will be the more grateful be- 
cause, in certain quarters, there exists an 
ungenerous, if not contemptible disposition, 
towards the Nahant Hotel. I do not allude 
to persons who follow the same business, 
for, so far as Nahant is concerned, they 
' mind their own affairs , but there is a 
class of people who, having no business 
of their own to attend to, busy themselves 



in instructing persons far more competent 
than themselves ; and any departure from 
their gratuitous counsel subjects the daring 
offender to the grave charge of " democ- 
racy !"' With us, the true relation between 
the hotel keeper and his visiters seems not 
generally to be understood. The former 
is no more a servant than the lawyer or 
the physician ; and if he offends, the rem- 
edy is plain — and escape from him is far 
easier than it sometimes is from the hands 
of the professional gentlemen. Nothing 
is more common than complaints against 
the best public houses in the country — 
even the Tremont has not always escaped ; 
and yet the discontented ones are satisfied 
there is nothing better, and never, or very 
rarely, desert it. It is not to be supposed, 
however, that the accomplished keepers of 
that establishment entertain any particular 
affection for persons so clearly inconsis- 
tent, or that they would step aside very 
far, to perform any extra professional ser- 
vices for them. If they even tolerated 
them, it would be by the exercise of a 
strained courtesy, and not from the con- 
viction of any obligation to do so. 

AN ACCOUNT OF THE FIRST RE- 
GATTA AT NAHANT. 

On the lOth of July, 1845, a regatta, which 
had been long talked of, came oft" at Nahant. 
It v»as free for all vessels of not more than 50 
tons nor less tlian 10. The prizes olforcd were 
a silver euj) valued at $50, and a siut of colors. 
Au allowanie of one half a minute per ton was 
made by the larger boats to the smaller ones on 
the dirt'erencc of tonnage. The course run Avas 
from Nahant, round the Graves, outside of a 
station-boat on the northwest side ; thence round 
Egg- roek, on the north, back to the judges' boat 
off Joseph's eove, Nahant. A very large num- 
ber of ])ersons from Boston and the neighbor- 
ing towns, were collected to witness the trial — 
all the eligible points for observation were 
thronged, and the bay in the neighborhood of 
the peninsula was studded with boats of every 
description tilled with speetators. 

At half past three o'clock the contending 
yachts, eleven in number, all schooner rigged, 
were ranged from east to west otf the south 
west bluli", in the following order : — The Nauti- 
lus 11 tons, Avon 11 tons, Neptune 11 tons, 
Raven 12 tons, Pathfinder 12 tons, Naid Queen 
15 tons, Gipsey 21 tons, Alert 22 tons. Vision 
24 tons, Odd Fellow 30 tons, and Cygnet 31 
tons. Their foresails and mainsails were hoist- 
ed, and each boat was held by a single line 
made fast to a separate mooring. 

A single glance at the boats would have sat- 
isfied any one, that the intrinsic value of the 
prizes was deemed of small moment in compar- 
ison with the claims for superiority; it was evi- 
dently to be a trial for elianipion^hi]). The 
Cygnet, the Odd Fellow and the Vision, were 



OR RANDOM SKETCHES. 



19 



each celebrated for some particular quality 
deemed vital in a boat-race. That the ])rizc 
would fail amou'^st the largest l)oats there ex- 
isted not a doubt, and the clumccs for the cup 
were considered to be decidedly in favor of the 
Cygnet, but by far the most iiitereslitig point 
to be determined was the lonj; mooted (jiiestion 
of .superiority among the yachts of 11 to IT) 
tons; these were not business boats, but the 
j)roduclioii3 of scientihc amateurs, aiming at 
speed, and on the .score of beauty and condition 
these little vessels would not have .sullered in 
comparison witli the finest boats of any coun- 
try. They were indeed the jiicked and chosen 
ones of the whole bay; each one; had her 
"troops of friends," and each claimed an owner 
wlio felt 710 embarrassment in entering the list 
for a public trial. Although these yachts were 
by no means strangers to each, other, yet there 
was a wide diirerence in opinion in regard to 
their rcs])ective merits; an occasional chance 
brush in the bay, (with " stores on board," "foul 
copper," "a skiff in tow," &c.) .so far from af- 
fording any criterion by w.hich they could be 
judged, seemed only to mystify their preten- 
sions. 

The Nautilu.s was known to be a very fast 
boat in smootli water, and on tliis occasion ev- 
erything seemed favorable for tlic development 
of the good points claimed for her. The Avon 
maintained a high rank; she was considered a 
fair match for the Nautilus, in common wind.s, 
and her superior in strong breezes : before com- 
ing into line she made two or three hitches, and 
her (juick movements greatly encouraged the 
strong hopes entertained for her by lier friends; 
she was lighter tlian usual, her ballast having 
been arranged to suit the breeze. 

The Neptune was not so well known as most 
of the others ; .she had however a good name, 
and being but partly decked possessed in that 
particular an important advantage over all her 
companions. 

Ti)c Haven, (long, deep, and sharp,) was 
widely and favorably known. The Pathfinder 
was known to be a very weatherly boat and her 
friends would readily have backed her against 
any of her companions in size. The Naid 
Queen, although a boat of excessive beam, was 
notoriously fast in all kinds of weather. 

The Gipscy had established a good name 
from her performances in strong breezes rather 
than from her su])crior excellence in light 
winds. The Alert was a new boat of great 
beam, fair lines and small draft. It was not 
su|)posed sli(! could do much by the wind, but 
in rumdng large it was believed she would hur- 
ry the best of the fleet. 

At a quarter before four, the signal gun was 
fired — the moorings were dropped, and the jibs 
run up at the same instant. The start to look- 
ers on seemed a perfect one : and the, beautiful 
appearance of the little vessels, as they llitted 
away together, elicited much admiration. The 
wind was fro-n the south cast, consequently it 
was nearly a dead beat to the (Graves. The 
boats started with their larboard tacks aboard 
and headed for Broad Sound, running four and 
a half to five knots. Immediately after filling 



away it was ])erceived that the Vision, from 
having a slight advance at the start, had lap- 
ped the Odd Fellow, and taken the wind out of 
lier sails, the latter however soon kept off, took 
the wind out ahead of tiie former, and j)asscd 
on ahead. 

The Raven from a smilar cause suffered in 
a much greater degree. The Nc])tune filled 
away u|)on her beam, and bei'almed her for 
about twenty miiuites. Unlike the (Jdd Fellow 
(which was the leeward boat but one in the 
licet) the Haven had several boats under her lee 
bow and could not keep away, to shake the 
Ne|)tune off", without interfering injuriously 
with her neighbors. Thus heminc<l in she was 
coinijelled cither to remain in company with 
the Neptune during the whole tack, or to heave 
to and let her jiass to windward. The latter al- 
ternative was submitted to, and her sheets were 
slacked up until the Neptune had passed ahead 
several lengths, when the Haven trimmed aft 
again, crossed her wake, and passed to wind- 
ward of her. If her rate of sailing iiftcr she 
had cleared the Nc])tunc may be considered a 
thing to judge by, she must have lost more than 
a mile from the interference at the start. 

At about a (|uarter past four, the Cygnet, 
Odd Fellow and Vision, tacked to the e/tstward. 
Strom: indications of a wind more southerly 
probably induced this movement. The manceu- 
vrc, however, although well designed, was not 
completely successful, for, notwithstanding tlie 
wind did haul slightly to the southward, the 
three large boats weathered the Graves with 
difficulty at a limping gait. The next boat was 
the liaven ; after passing half a mile beyond 
the wake of the others she tacked to the east- 
ward, and passed the Graves, going a wrap full. 
The Alert followed the Raven ; the other boats 
were now a long way in the rear, and it was 
quite apparent that the matter was settled so 
far as they were concerned, still it was a subject 
of regret that they did not conqilcte the distance 
named in the conditions of the race, inasmuch 
as the prize was offered only with a view of 
ascertaining how far the pretensions of the 
different yachts would be justified by their 
performances. 

The Cygnet and the Odd Fellow passed the 
Graves nearly together, next came the Vision 
with the Haven close upon her — up to this 
period the Haven was in good time, for the first 
prize, but it was considered that in working to 
windward her best ])lay had been seen, and 
that on tlie return, in running at large, her ra- 
king m.asts and heavy draft would cause her to 
drop far astern of tlu; larger boats, whose ar- 
rangements and ability for going free were sup- 
posed to be vastly superior. 

Upon squaring away, however, this opinion 
proved to be ill founded, for when half of the 
distance between the (Graves and Egg Itock had 
been made, it was obvious that the Haven liad 
not only nearcd the head boats considerably, 
hut had also dropped the Alert still farther 
astern. When abreast of Egg ilock one of the 
crew of the Odd Fellow fell overboard ; in 
rounding to pick him up she lost .some minutes. 
The Haven also lost some time by jibing her 



20 



NOTKS ON TUK SKA-SIIORK 



foresnil nnd standinp for the exposed individual. 

From llie coiintu'iicciiK'nt of tlie race the 
Avnid lia<l hccn <;ra(hiidly incrcasin;^, and when 
tlie boats hauled on a wind under the k^e of 
y^iiff Jvock the breeze was quite fresh. They 
])asscd the station l)oat oil' Ivist I'oint, Naliant, 
runnini!; at least nine knots, and eanieto abreast 
of tile Judf^es' boat in i)eantiful style in tlie fol- 
lowing order. Cygnet at 0, 12; Vision at C, 
14 ; and the Raven at 6, 16 — the latter boat 
taking the first ])rizc, with some minutes to 
spare — the secoiul prize was awarded to the 
Vision. 

The detention of the Odd Fellow, although 
it may have ])revcnted her eoming in as early 
as the Cygnet, did not aflert the ehanco for a 
prize. 1'hc result, so far as the Kavcn was con- 
cerned, was deemed most extraordinary, and 
lier jierformanee elicited consideraiile specula- 
tion. 15y some it was thought tliat the allow- 
ance of time was too great, but others, more 
skilled in nautical imitters, considered that if it 
were so, the ])rizes woidd both have fallen to 
boats of the Raven's class, whereas it ajipears 
that neither the Avon, Neptune, Nautilus, Naid 
Queen or the rathlindt'i', were or coultl have 
been within four or five miles of even the sec- 
ond ])rize, which was taken by a boat of 24 
tons, in a close contest witli the two yachts of 
30 and 31 tons. The distance sailed ("about 20 
miles) was peiformed by the leading boats, in 
about 2^ hours, which, considering the wind at 
the start, was excellent time. 

Thus closed one of the most beautiful and 
exciting regattas ever witnessed in this country. 

The skill and propriety evinced in getting up 
the exhibition were equalled only by the perfect 
liarmony and good feeling which marked its 
close. 



While upon matters connected with the 
sea, we have thought that the following- 
capital slfuy, ilhistrating the dangers of 
yacht sailing in Boston bay, would be ac- 
ceptable to readers. It originally appear- 
ed in the Boston Atlas : — 

NARllOW ESCAPE IN MASSACHU- 
SETTS BAY. 

Towards llie close of n beantilul afternoon in 
.luly, just as the seltinir sun luul slicd liis last rays 
upon llie lofty canvass of a ship in the ollinj;-, and 
the small lishiiii;- schooners were retiiniiiig-, like 
sea-^ulls, to their wave-yirdled nests, three ama- 
teur yachtcrs started from Gli)iicester, in a pret- 
ty yacht of about ten Ions, IiduikI lor Naiiant. 
The wind was liyht from the westward ; ol 
course, there was no pros|)ect of a quick run, but 
the evenin^j- was delijihtful ; indeed, it was one 
of those niirhts when '' fear may lay liiin down to 
sleep." The day, however, had l)eeii intensely 
warm, and a scorchim;- sun had aiven denote- 
ment of one ot' those sadden and violent changes 
\vhich arc not unl'reqnont in midiinimer. 



At about U o'clock, the sky in the north looked 
portentous ; a pilch black cloud had risen a few 
degrees above the liorizon, and spread along from 
the northwest to the northeast. The appearance 
was wild and llircatening, and an occasional 
gleam of lightning indicated that it eonlained 
the elements of strife ; the atmosphere, too, had 
becotne close. These indications where unheed- 
ed by the yachtcrs ; they eared no more for the 
thunder-cloud than they did for the smoke of the 
"regalias" which curled over their heads; the 
boat was a good one — '' .she had braved it before, 
and could brave it again." and come what might, 
they were in shape lor it. 

in a light wind the tiller does not minister 
much to the poetry of sailing, and companion- 
ship with it at such a time is not desirable; con- 
sequently, on this occasion the helm was relieved 
halt a do/.en times before muinight. and but little 
regard paid to the course of the yacht. At about 
half-past twelve the moon went down, the breeze 
freshened, and a haze set in which obscured the 
horizon. The Boston and Long Island lights, 
however, were dimly visible in the distance. 
Nothing material occurred until half-past one, 
when the (lapping of the sails (the boat had been 
brought suddenly to the wind,) and the shout 
from the helm " below there !" aroused the two 
sleepers. " It is a squall ?" cried one of them, as 
ho coi>lly .stepped up the companionway. '' No," 
replied the hehiisniaii, ''the smut ui the north 
has settled away, but look yonder." '' A rock I" 
shouted the other, rubbing his eyes. " There 
must have heen wild steering, somewhere, for 
we are on the Cohassel side — fill away to the 
northward." The yacht was then kept away 
north by east. Ivach professed to believe he had 
seen one of the Cohasset rocks, but at the same 
time lelt that owing to the variety of steering, 
the current, and the haze, they were quite aa 
likely to be somewhere else. This feeling, how- 
ever, induced only an indiflercnt lookout, and 
with an increasing lireeze they sped along' 
merrily. Not more tlian twenty minutes had 
elapsed before the watch forward cried, " break- 
ers ahead I hard down your helm I" 

The boat shot clear, but near enough to show 
a small grevish rock, around which the water 
must have been bold, as the break was very 
slight. The yacht was brought to the wind again, 
and a council held The first rock could not 
have been on the Cohasset shore, as north by 
east would have cleared every thing. What was 
it, then ? It must have been the Ilardings, and 
the one just passed nmst have been the Norlh- 
east Breaker, od' the Craves, — but the Graves 
Were not visible; that wns no doubt owing to 
the mist which had now settled close all around. 
The bearings of the outer lighl, however, con- 
flicted with this calculation, but the'compass rest- 
ed on the lloor of the cabin, and might have 
been inllueuced by the pig iron directly below it; 
at any rate, the rock last seen might have been 
the Northeast Breaker, and away they went, 
heading north, the helmsman humminsr a boat 
song to the tune of a cracking breeze. They soon 
recollected thai the luutheast breaker was a dark 
kelp-covered rock, altogether unlike the one they 
had just jtassed — on the other hand, the mist 
migiit have caused this unusual appearance. For 
a moment there was a slight manifestalion of 
distrnsi, but the song, the witty remark, and the 
joyous laugh which followed, showed that it was 
l)ut a nu>iuentary feeling — " a raj) full." was the 
word and on she went,w!»ile "a wake like the 



OR RANDOM SKETCHES. 



21 



maelstrom was boiling behind." So true is it 

that 

" Wc (Innce on a loom that may weave us a eliroud." 

la less liian ten minutes there was a simultane- 
ous exclamation, " Iloeks !" and under tlie lee 
bow was seen a cluster of a dozen, so near that 
as the sea laved tlieui a fitful gleam of phosphor- 
ic light was disiinctly visible. In an mstniil the 
yacht was on the other tack — a sound like the 
surf ol' some beach was now heard :— this added 
to the endjarrassnuMil of the niornetit, and as no 
one ventured any farther opinion as to the where- 
abouts of the little vessel, it was deemed best to 
anchor. Safely was now the only thing to be 
consulted. 

The yacht was .sharp, deep, heavily ballasted, 
and of delicate construction ; a blow, therefore, 
on a craggy rock, would li.ive sent her down in 
two minutes. Moreover, the danger was magni- 
fied by the singular fact that the water was quite 
bold, no foundings having tjeen lound in less 
than seven fathoms. 

While the boat was moving ahead slowly, 
her sails shaking, and before the cable could be 
overhauled and the anchor keyed, the man at the 
helm sho\ited •' more rocks, by the gho.st of Ca;- 
sar!" There they were — five of them, just on 
the lee beam — small, grey, and nearly ii|ion a 
level with the soa I The boat was brought to the 
wind immediately, her foresail dropped, and the 
jib lelt to windward — the ebb tide had nearly 
done, and by the lead it was found that the boat 
was nearly stationary, or at worst, drifting slowly 
over the track she had passed. The compass 
was now placed in the standing room, liiit it told 
the same story. If it was coirect., every thing 
was right, as Long Island Light bore southwest 
by it. They had no chart, but they remembered 
that south west, with a moderate draft, was a 
good course for Long Island Head. 

They remained in this i)osition (awaiting the 
day-liglit) for an hour, descanting upon the singu- 
larity of their adventure, and upon the unaccount- 
able things they had seen, when to their mortal 
horror they made a heap of rocks directlv ahead, 
in the very range of the Light, which still bore 
southwest! This appearance was the more as- 
tounding, inasmuch as the yaclit had scarcely 
steerage- way upon her, and yet the rocks were 
close aboard, and ap[)arently nearing them fast 
— so rapidly indeed that there was not time to 
keep the boat away — one was already under her 
bowsprit. All hands now sprang forward, and 
applying their unit(!d strength to a strong boat 
hook, they succeeded in breasting olf— not the 
boat — but a larae strait' hrd — one of a hundred 
and fifty, which, having been dischart'ed from 
the immigrant ships in rpiarantine the afl<-riioon 
before, had been rpiietly drifting down the Sound, 
to the great annoyance of the " yachters," with 
whose company and respectful attention they 
liad been honored for about four hours ! 



Nakant, August, 1848. 

Tfi the way of romantic and oxriting 
fact.s, mtich mii^ht bo foniid if you had time 
to look it up. Some Peventpen winters 
aso, Mr. Caleb .Johnson started in the La- 
iayette (I think) from Cape Cod. With 
liim were two schooners boi;nd for Swams- 



cott. At about 4, P. M. it came on to blow 
from the eastward, and a thick snow storm 
set in. 

Capt. Caleb put her away for Boston 
and ran with an increasing jrale for some 
time, when the boat struck heavily, but 
passed on. Whether the rock tliey had 
rubbed upon so hard was tlie IJardini,'s, or 
whether it was one of the scalteriny break- 
ers which lie nearer the south shore, was 
unknown to them ; but in either case their 
situation was most alarminij. With that 
promptness and nerve which characterise 
the fishermen of Massachusetts bay, the 
Capt. resolved that they had passed over 
the Har(lin;urs and he steered accordingly. 
If he was right, the chance was still a 
desperate one ; if wron^f, destruction was 
sure. The pumps were now sounded, but. 
notwithstanding' the blow she had receiv- 
ed was a severe one, the little craft contin- 
ued tijrht ; the blasts grew longer and loud- 
er, and to escape the heavy sea astern the 
boat was crowded to the last inch of can- 
vass she could bear, and her masts bent 
like whi[) sticks. 

Suddenly the sea seemed all in heaps, 
and the combers broke over the vessel in 
every direction. It was evidently the 
wind contending with a strong adverse 
current, and the captain, hoping it might 
be the ebb tide in the channel, passed the 
helm to his son, remarking as he went for- 
ward, " we shall be somewhere, soon." In 
two minutes after he shouted from the fore 
riizging — "hard down your helm— its all 
right !" And for an instant was seen just 
over the foremast head, the " Light dimly 
hurnin^r." They soon shot into darkness 
airain, but the skipper had said "it was all 
right," and it was so, for ihcm.^ for they run 
for the Spit, made it, — threaded their way 
through the Narrows and the shij)ping in 
the upper harbor, and soon made fast near 
the end of Long wharf. But their com- 
panions of the afternoon were less fortu- 
nate; one of them, in a shattered condition, 
got into Swamscott; the other went to 
pieces on the Pii^s rocks (about three miles 
northeast of Nahant,) and all hands were 
lost. 

Towards midniirht Capt. Johnson, not 
liking the sound of the weather, stepped 
from his berth to ero on deck, when he 
found two feet of water in the cabin of the 
boat. Upon examination afterwards, it 
appeared miraculous that the schooner 
ever reached even Light House channel — 
so peculiarly dnni;(;rous was the damage 
she had sustained near her garboard. 

I am somewhat weary, but will mention 
one more incident, which happened some 



22 



NOTES ON THE SEA-SUOUE ; 



Iwenty-three years ago, in midwinter. 
Two Nahant iisiiermen, (I do not reniem- 
ber tlieir names, but they were distin<fuish- 
ed) started from Boston in a dory for Na- 
hant. They had money and articles for 
their families, the proceeds of the week's 
business. It was on a Saturday. At Point 
Shirley they stopped for a cup of tea ; after 
which, and against the advice of their host, 
they resumed then- voyaije in the face of a 
hard NE. wind After puUinjj; about an 
hour, they were completely shrouded in 
darkness — the wind had freshened, and it 
■was obvious that they were making but 
small headway ; the sea had also risen — 
so much so indeed that to return was out 
of the question. There was no shore to 
leeward near which a boat could have lived 
for one moment ; their only chance, then, 
was to go ahead ; and they tugged man- 
fully. In proportion as the case grew des- 
perate, they parted with their freiitht, and, 
package by package, one half of it had 
been thrown overboard, but with some de- 
gree of reluctance, for these men were 
formed to grapple willi the shark, and not 
inclined to yield to common difficulties. 
The wind continued to increase until it 
blew a perfect gale. Finding it impossi- 
ble to keep her from swamping, with any 
extra weight on board, the boat was clear- 
ed of every thing but the money, and they 
buckled to the oars again. They had 
scarcely began to realise any advantage 
from their altered trim before the snow be- 
gan to liy thickly — and in less than twenty 
minutes the poor little craft was carrying 
weigh! again. 

At this moment, they thought the water 
seemed to be a little smoother, and that 
consequently they must be nearing some 
part of Nahant — liastily they scooped out 
the snow which had collected in the boat, 
and again bent to their oars ; encouraged 
by the certainty that they were slowly 
making a lee they steadily applied their 
remaining strength, uncertain yet, if it 
would be of any avail ; one of them, less 
hardy than his companion, was about to 
yield when the welcome sound of the sea 
dashing heavily upon the rocks burst up- 
on them. The first words spoken for an 
half hour was in their simultaneous and 
joyous exclamation, " breakers" — in a few 
minutes they made the outline of bold 
lantl close aboard; this they judged (and 
rightly) to be Bass Point; they followed 
the shore along to the northward, till they 
came to a spot whore ''grates the keel up- 
on the yellow sand," when they beached 
the dory, and loaded with ice and snow 
waded a mile to their collate with scarce- 



ly stren<>;th enough remaining to raise its 
door latch. 



LETTER II. 

Apple Tahiml — the late Mr. Marsh — his romantic 
histonj — ieslrudhxt of las house by fire, Sfc. 

Nahant, September, 1845. 
On my passau'e to Nahant, in the steam, 
er General Lincoln, Capt. Betts, I passed 
•' Apple Island," a place somewhat cele- 
brateil on account of a mysterious gentle- 
man, by the name of Marsh, having lived 
there a great number of years. He brought 
up a large family on the island, was final- 
ly taken sick, and dlevl about the year 
1834: I believe he was buried on the is- 
land. His house was burned two or three 
years afterwards. 

I do not remember that I ever passed 
Apple Island, in the Nahant steamer, but 
some one of the passengers had a curious 
story to tell about Mr. Marsh, and the 
manner in which he obtained a permanent 
foothold on that inviting spot of earth. 
The most rational and authentic account 
of him I have ever listened to was related 
to me by an old friend, who is as familiar 
with every thing connected with the histo- 
ry of the islands in Boston harbor as you 
are with your own paste-pot ami scissors. 
The story runs thus : — 

Somewhere about the year 1813 — in the 
midst of our war with Great Britain — Mr. 
Marsh, the gentleman referred to, who 
was a native of England, mysteriously 
landed on the beach at an out-of-the-way 
place called Germantown, between Quin- 
cy and Weymouth. It is an excellent 
place to bathe, at high water : I have of- 
ten buffetted the " saucy waves" there, 
and it is said to be a favorite resort of J. Q. 
Adams, for the purpose of bathing in the 
summer months. I wouKl here remark 
that Germantown is a part of the town of 
Quincy. . Mr. Marsh had with him two 
females, one of whom passed as his wife, 
and the other as her assi-tanf. He ob- 



OR RANDOM SKETCHES. 



23 



tained possession of. a small house on this 
shore where he lived for many months, 
without having the least intercourse with 
any family in the vicinity, or holding con- 
versation with any one whose curiosity 
might attract him to the spot. His life was 
spent in entire seclusion, and his compan- 
ions mixed as little with the world as 
he himself. It is true, he would some- 
times wander up to the village, to pur- 
chase a few groceries and other comforts 
of life; but he rarely made unnecessary 
conversation with any one — merely paying 
for such articles as he had occasion to pur- 
chase, in gold or silver, of which, it was 
said, he had a considerable quantity with 
him. 

Several months having passed away, 
including those of a severe winter season, 
the residents of the houses in the neigh- 
borhood began to talk very openly against 
him, and to throw out frightful inuendoes. 
This was in true yankee character. If he 
was not the devil, he was certainly one of 
his imps I Finally, it was decided that Mr, 
Marsh and his companions must be driven 
away, by some means or another, from 
their quiet resting place. They were not 
considered precisely as ghosts, or hob- 
goblins ; but then there was a certain 
something about them which induced the 
timid people of Germantown and its vicin- 
ity to denounce them as unearthly beings, 
strongly imbued with the scent of brim- 
stone. They made known their desires 
and intentions to Mr. Marsh, and he, for 
self-preservation, consented to remove from 
Germantown, with his family, as soon as 
the necessary arrangements could be made. 
In a few days Mr. Marsh succeeded in 
purchasing a sail-boat, of about ten tons, 
with which he removed his family, and 
what little furniture and provisions they 
had, and, after paying his rent honorably, 
took leave of his persecutors with becom- 
ing meekness and dignity. It was high 
spring-ti-ne — about the first of May. There 
was a genial warmth in the sun, and a 
quietness on the bosom of the sea, which 
were cheering and comforting to a man 



who had seen better days, and who had 
been thus rudely treated, by his fellow 
creatures, in a land of boasted freedom, 
intelligence and hospitality. 

He put off from the beach with his 
stanch boat, under a clear sky and with a 
free breeze, and shaped his course for the 
land on the opposite shore, in the direction 
of Chelsea, where he made a temporary 
landing, on what is called Hog Island. 
He spent a part of his time there, but most 
of it, the whole of the succeeding sum- 
mer and fall, in cruising about the islands 
in Boston harbor — occasionally landing to 
procure fresh provisions and water, but 
never making a long visit. He and his 
associates literally lived on the water for 
more than six months, almost always find- 
ing safe anchorage as the night approached, 
and never meeting with the least accident. 
They were known as the " floating family." 
Hog Island, however, appeared to be the 
favorite resting place of Mr. Marsh at this 
time, whenever he landed any where with 
his family. His movements were noticed 
by the owner of that island, as well as by 
others, and he was finally ordered off, lest 
he might become a permanent squatter. 
He quietly submitted to the mandate of 
Mr. Breed, and sought a resting place 
elsewhere. 

Winter was now fast approaching. The 
cold north wind whistled cheerlessly 
through the rigging of his faithful little 
craft, and the waves of old Ocean showed 
their white and threatening foam, at all 
hours of the day and night. It was at a 
season like this, when every thing con- 
spired to dishearten Mr. Marsh and hia 
family, that he formed a plan of making a 
lodgment on Apple island for the winter. 

In the month of November, 1814, he 
safely removed his " little all" from his 
boat to that island, and took possession of 
a small uninhabited house, which, as I 
have been informed, had been built many 
years before by a family of catholics, 
who left it suddenly, during the revolu- 
tionary war, for " parts unknown." In 
this little, habitation, Mr. Marsh and his 



24 



NOTES ON TUB SEA-SHORE 



companions found comfortable quarters for 
the winter. He had nearly provisions 
enough to last him until the opening of the 
spring, but such articles as he stood in 
need of he would procure from vessels 
passing up and down the harbor, always 
paying a generous price for every thing he 
purchased. Being an excellent sho^, ^nd 
having a trusty fowling piece, with plenty 
of ammunition, he rarely felt the want of 
game, — an abundance of which is always 
to be found in the vicinity of Apple island, 
from November to April, — while the sand 
and the sea yielded up their rich treasures 
to him, in any quantity his wants required. 
In this way he spent the winter very com- 
fortably. As the season of spring ap- 
proached, he began to feel confidence in 
the stability of his new position, and to 
cast about for some new employment — to 
see, as Robinson Crusoe's " Man Friday" 
often did, what he should do next. Hav- 
ing a taste for agricultural pursuits, he 
contrived to purchase several farming im- 
plements and some garden seeds ; and with 
these, and the kelp and rock-weed which 
he gathered in abundance upon the shore, 
he began his labors as a farmer and a phi- 
lanthropist. His exertions were crowned 
with success. la the language of St. 
Pierre, he " made two blades of grass to 
grow where but one grew before ;" sum- 
mer smiled upon his laudable efforts, and 
autumn crowned them with an abundance 
of the fruits of the earth. All this time 
he continued unmolested in his new a- 
bode — he was sole monarch of the little 
epot of earth on which he worked so 
cheerfully, and so gratefully. Apple is- 
land was frequently visited by fishing par- 
ties during the summer, but no one treated 
him or his associates with rudeness or in- 
civility, while they, on the other hand, did 
every thing in their power, to make their 
visiters comfortable. Mr. Marsh himself 
is said to have been a perfect gentleman 
in his manners and in his feelings. 

As early as the period of which we are 
now speaking, there was a singular mys- 
tery hanging over Mr, Marsh and his fam- 



ily, in the minds of all, who visited Apple 
island ; and the stories which were circu- 
lated in relation to them were numerous, 
and some of them of a character to amuse, 
if they did not astonish every one who 
liste ned to them. 

It was not long before Mr, Marsh had his 
island in a comfortable condition for the 
wants of his family. He built a small 
barn, and one or two other out-houses ; and 
among the new tenants which he intro- 
duced to his family circle were several of 
the swinish multitude, a cow, a number of 
hens, ducks, dogs, and cats : and, like a 
true philosopher, as he was, he made up 
his mind to spend the remainder of his 
days there, unless he was driven from the 
island, as he had been previously from 
Gerraantown, by the suspicious and un- 
cooth residents of that obscure place, and 
from Hog island, by Mr, Breed, its then 
new proprietor. 

No one molesting Mr. Marsh, his good 
lady soon began to make demonstrations 
that were highly gratifying to him, and to 
vie with the soil in producing something 
besides pumpkins — something that should 
comfort her faithful lord in his old age. 
The first of the little Marshes began to 
show his head about the time that pota- 
toes, corn, turnips, and cabbages were 
ripe ; and there was, naturally, much re- 
joicing " all about the lot." 

Time rolled on and Mr. Marsh continued 
to enjoy quiet possession of Apple island. 
He would visit Boston, occasionally, in the 
summer season, and make his appearance 
in State-street, interchanging the compli- 
ments of the season wuth some of our most 
respectable citizens. His dress and address 
always bespoke the gentleman ; and, to 
the day of his death, the mystery in rela- 
tion to him, which commenced with his 
first appearence among us, was continued. 
He was too much of a riddle for yankee 
cursioity to penetrate or solve. He 
brought up a large family of children — 
four sons, and as many daughters, if I 
mistake not, some of whom are married and 
reside in the city of Boston or its vicinity. 



OK RANDOM SKETCHES. 



25 



Some time after Mr. Marsh's death, his 
family removed to the city. The island is 
now the property of his heirs, who, I be- 
lieve, have made several unsuccessful at- 
tempts to sell it. To conclude, I will add 
that there is some romance in this story, 
as well as much interest. I obtained my 
facts from an intimate friend of the late 
Mr. Marsh, and they are as nearly accurate 
as it is possible to have them, for he was a 
man who had but few "secrets," even for 
the members of his own family. He 
kept every thing to himself. 



LETTER III. 

Deer Island — Dancing parties — Caplain Tewks- 
hury and his successful exertions in saving the 
lives of some twenty-five persons — liberal re- j 
wards given by the Humane Society for his 
philanthropic and efficient effoiis — remarkable \ 
case of money digging, near Money Head Bluff, 
in 1824 — some account of the island and the I 
public institutions there. 

N.\HANT, Septembeh, 1845. 

Deer Island, opposite Point Shirley, 
which I passed on my way to this penin- 
sula, is a place that I never look upon 
without thinking; of my " boyhood days." 
How many hours of innocent pleasure 1 
have enjoyed on that green spot of earth, 
in my early youth, when it was customary, 
in the summer months, for the " lads and 
lasses" of the different religions societies 
in the city, accompanied by their parents 
and clergymen, to visit Mr. Tewksbury, 
and make his halls ring with their jocund 
mirth, their music, and their dance. But 
those days are gone, and with them some 
of the mo.it elegant women, and some of 
the worthiest fellows, that ever trod the 
earth, or figured on the floor of a ball-room. 
We are all going the same road, my dear 
colonel, as fast as time can carry us. 

Capl. Tewksbury, the " hero of Deer 
Island," has recently removed to East Bos- 
ton, where, I understand, he has purchased 
a house, but lias been living at Point Shir- 
4 



ley for some years past. IJe has brought 
up a large family in that vicinity, having 
lived on Deer Island twenty-five or thirty 
years, during which time his exertions in 
saving men from drowning were charac- 
terized by boldness and energy — and in 
almost every instance they were crowned 
with success. In his philanthropic efforts, 
he has at different times received valua- 
ble assistance from the members of his 
family. When I tell you that he and his 
sons have been the means, under di- 
vine favor, of saving between twenty-five 
and thirty human beings from a watery 
grave, you will have some idea of the e.v- 
tent of their labors. In one instance, if 
my memory does not fail me, as many as 
sixteen persons, in a fishing party, from 
Dorchester and Roxbury, were saved by 
them under the most remarkable and dar- 
ing circumstances. The whole party, ex- 
cept a poor colored v.'aiter, who imploring- 
ly turned up the whites of his eyes and 
" gave up the ghost," even when there was 
hope, were rescued from the waves, al- 
though they were upset a mile from the 
shore, and the wind at the time was blow- 
ing a gale from the west. In another in- 
stance, a party of five men were saved. 
The records of the Humane Society show 
that they have often been called upon to 
reward Mr. Tewksbury and his family 
with medals and money, for their bold and 
successful exertions in saving human life. 
When the worthy old gentleman dies, a 
monument should be erected to his mem- 
ory, near the scene of his philanthropic 
and fearless exploits, to remind genera- 
tions to come that so noble and bold a 
spirit once lived and breathed in the land. 

There is an amusing story, all about 
money digging, which is related with con- 
siderable gravity by some of the good 
people who reside at Deer Island and at 
Point Shirley. Shall I tell it to you as it 
was told to me 1 Very well, here goes! 

There is a place on Deer Island, at the 
extreme South East point of it, calleil 
Money Head Bluff. In 1824 a party of 
individuals from Boston, headed hy 



1^6 



NOTES ON THE SEA-SHORE ; 



Capt. Crooker, proceeded to this spot to 
dig for monejr, a large quantity of which 
was supposed to have been buried there 
during the revolutionary war. Capt. Kidd 
had nothing to do with that lot.* Crock- 
er's party consisted of Capt. William 
Tewksbury and Mr. Brown, of the island, 
and Messrs. Tutlle, Green, Boynton, and 
Henry, of Boston, besides two boys who 
belonged on the island. It will thus be seen 
that this party was composed of six men 
and two boys, all of whom were " armed 
and equipped, according to law." They 
were headed by Crooker, who carried in 
his hands two sounding-rods : and, at his 
request, the party — v.ho were urgently 
admonished by him not to say a word — 
marched in single file from the house of 
Capt. Tewskbury to the bluff: how they 
must have looked, ha ! Having proceeded 
about half the distance, it was discovered 
that the party had no Bible, to " keep the 
evil spirit off." Mr. Brown, who now 
keeps the telegrapic station on Central- 
wharf, was sent back to obtain one, and 
the party awaited his return in solemn si- 
lence. Not being able to find a Bible, 
Mrs. Tewksbury thoughtlessly sent a spell- 
ing-book; and as soon as Mr. Brown (who 
had a waggish disposition at the time — as 
he probably has now,) returned with his 
precious charge, the party moved on, to 
the old willow tree, under which — as Sol- 
omon Swap would say — they were to 
make their " eternal fortunes." Capt. 
Crooker, before commencing operations, 
addressed the party, enjoining upon them 
the most profound silence. He stated that, 
if any one spoke, while the digging was 
going on, the expedition would inevitably 

* Although Capt. Kidd was never in our wa- 
ters, jet there arc hundreds of ignorant people in 
this vicinity wlio seriously helieve that that fa. 
mous bncanicr planted thousands of dollars, in 
gold and silver, the spoils of his plunder, in dif- 
ferent parts of New-England Within our ic- 
membrauce, a party of colored gentlemen, from 
the Hill, so called, were driven from the Com- 
mon, at midnight, for turning up the soil to the 
depth of several feet in search of Kidd's money. 
It was about a week before what was known at 
the time as ''nigger 'lection." 



be disastrous, and the consequences fatal 
to some of them, as the evil spirit would 
rise up and blast them with his vaporous 
breath, if he did not unceremoniously car- 
ry them away. He proceeded to draw a 
circle of about twenty feet, over which he 
passed his sounding rods several times. 
Opening the spelling-book — which he 
thought was the sacred volume — with 
great solemnity, placing it on the ground, 
and taking off his hat, he said, in an em- 
phatic tone of voice, " THIS IS THE PLACE." 
He then commenced digging — the party 
all the time standing mute. " Either stand 
in the circle, or sit on the grass, gentlemen 
— ^just as you please ; but by all means 
be silent" — saiil the captain, as he stuck 
the first pick-axe into the ground. Green 
and Tultle commenced digging, as soon 
as the captain made a sign for them to do 
so. They dug three feet into the "bovi'els 
of the earth," when they struck a spring 
of water, which gushed out so fast that 
they became terrified. The captain prompt- 
ly explained the cause of this, and they 
resumed their labors, the party all the rest 
of the time continuing within the circle, 
and as silent as death. Having dug to the 
depth of six feet, Crooker took one of the 
party aside, and had a serious conversa- 
tion with him, which lasted several min- 
utes. He than exclaimed, with a gravity 
irresistibly ludicrous, that the spirit had 
been disturbed, and was near them, but 
he was visible to no one but himself, as he 
alone had disturbed him. " He has light 
complexion and sandy hair," said the cap- 
tain. At this speech, the boys laughed 
heartily, when the captain flew into a tre- 
mendous passion, and. with uplifted hands, 
fell upon his knees, exclaiming — " the 
charm is broken ! the spirit is still follow- 
ing me ! don't be surprised, my friends, 
if you see a phantom ship go up the chan- 
nel within an hour!" 

The laugh now became general, and the 
party retired — some of them heartily 
ashamed of the scrape into which they 
had been dragged by the captain, and 
others, who had no faith in the enterprise 



OR RAyDOM SKETCHE?. 



27 



from its commencement, shaking their 
" unfed sides" at the folly of which they 
had been eye witnesses. 

There is another story, about money 
digging on Snake Island, in the vicinity of 
Deer Island, but it is destitute of interest. 

(Note — August, 1848.) We are indebted 
to a friend for the following interesting memo- 
i-anda : — 

Deer Island is the property of the city of Bos- 
ton, and received its name from the circumstance 
that the wolves, according to the Indians, hunt- 
ing in packs, were in the habit of gathering 
deer in a drove towards Shirley Point, forcing 
them to swim over the Gut, to the island, where 
they commenced their slaughter. 

At an early period in the history of Boston, 
the proprietors of town lots became apprehen- 
sive that the descendents of the original owners 
— the Indians — might institute claims ; and to 
forever put the matter to rest, the grandsons of 
Chickataubut, the sagamore of the peninsida, 
nearly fifty years after the settlement of the 
town, not only gave a quitclaim to the whole 
territory, for a trifling consideration, but includ- 
ed in the same instrument Deer Island. It was 
in this way that it became the property of the 
city. Curious as it may appear, the quantity of 
arable land on the island is about as large as it 
appears to have been one hundred and fifty 
years ago. There has been a prodigious waste 
by the encroachment of the sea at some points, 
and accessions of barriers, by die upheval force 
of the waves, at others. Between two and three 
acres, near the Centurion, originally formed by 
the peculiar action of currents, during the pro- 
gress of ages, was swept away in a single night, 
by the raging of an easterly storm, some 
thirty years since, carrying upon its unstable 
surface a flock of sheep. 

Much alarm having been excited in 1825, in 
regard to the destructive effects of the wear and 
tear of the islands, endangering the channels of 
the harbor, the government erected an expen- 
sive sea-wall, embracing the whole north and 
northeastern margin, which was built of huge 
granite blocks, locked together in the most ex- 
posed places, with copper dowels. Some years 
were required to complete the imdertaking, 
which is exceedingly massive, and far exceeded 
in cost the original appropriation made by con- 
gress. 

From generation to generation Deer Island 
was used for agricultural purposes, till May 
1847, when, in consequence of the development 
of disease in emigrant vessels from Europe, the 
old quarantine station at Rainsford Island was 
abandoned, temporarily, on account of the small 
dimensions of the territory, and all sickly ves- 
sels were ordered to be anchored on the south- 
erly side of Deer Island. Extensive ranges of 
hospital edifices were speedily raised, and a spi- 
rited determination of the municipal authorities 
was manifested, to make the poor, wretched im- 
migrant, as comfortable in his forlorn condition 



of sickness and utter destitution, as the circum- 
stances under which he was placed would al- 
low. A detailed statistical account of the con- 
veniences and general organisation of the estab- 
lishment, in its character of an Irish immigrant 
ho.spital, _ for the temporary relief of the sick, 
arriving in the port of Boston, is unnecessary. 
The expense, however, fiir exceeded the expec- 
tations of the public, and although every fraction 
should have been re-cmburscd by the legislature, 
the city, thus far, from all appearances, will have 
to sutler a heavy pecuniary loss. 

The island being leased as a fiinn, at the pe- 
riod when needed for its present use, $400 was 
given to cancel the lease — and then there fol- 
lowed an expense of 71,988 48. There werere- 
ccived into the city treasury, in the form of a cap- 
itation tax of $2 on each passenger, 54,948 87. 
The state now take the whole revenue from that 
source ; and the city is hereafter to carry in an 
account against the commonwealth, and take 
such compensation as may be allowed by the 
committee on accounts, out of the immigrant 
fund. 



LETTER IV. 

Point Shirley, and an account of a remarhablp 
occurrence there — Chelsea — East Boston — Lijnn 
— Swampscott Fishermen — Salem. 

Nahant, September, 1845. 

As you well know, Point Shirley is sep- 
arated from Deer Island by a strait, which 
is called Pulling- Point Gut. At times, the 
tide runs through this passage with a fear- 
ful rapidity, and the shore is uncommonly 
bold. A few years ago a master baker, 
who had drawn a high prize in one of the 
Southern lotteries, while laboring under a 
fit of delirium tremens^ attempted to drive 
across the Gut, notwithstanding the admo- 
nitions and earnest entreaties of several 
persons who were eye-witnesses to his fol- 
ly. He had a spirited horse, and an ele- 
gant gig. As he reached the edge of the 
shore he gave his horse a severe cut with 
the whip, and away dashed the infuriated 
animal — the crazy man exclaiming, as he 
went, that he would show the spectators 
a feat that Bonaparte had not courage to 
perform ! 

The horse and gig struck the water al- 
most at the same moment : such was the 
velocity of the stream, that the gig turned 



28 



NOTES ON THE SEA-SIIORE 



immediately over, spilling its valuable 
contents, which floated along with the 
current. Horse, gig. cushions and driver, 
were soon separated, as if by a " great ef- 
fort of nature," instead of the rashness 
and folly of a drunken individual. The 
horse and man were drowned : the body of 
the latter, the least valuable article of the 
lot, was found in a few hours, and the gig 
was also recovered. This was a decided- 
ly fatal spree ; and it was a little mysteri- 
ous, that the horse was enabled to disen- 
gage himself from his harness so soon after 
touching the water. 

From appearances, I tliink that many 
acres of Point Sliirley have been washed 
away by the sea within the last fifty years j 
and this opinion is strengthened by the 
representations of the oldest female resi- 
dent of the place, who is now rising eighty 
years of age. The point runs off a con- 
siderable distance from the main land, and 
that the bluff is rapidly washing away, — 
as is the case with some of the islands in 
the harbour, — will not be disputed by any 
one at all acquainted with the subject. A 
sea-wall is much wanted there : that at 
Deer Island has been of great service in 
protecting the bluff from the wasting in- 
fluence of the sea. 

In riding from Point Shirley to Boston, 
you can pass through Chelsea, which is a 
pleasant route. Chelsea, you know, is one 
of the most quiet towns in the country, 
and an excellent summer residence. It 
has been built up, like East Boston, almost 
in a day : twenty-five years ago, in the latter 
place, there was but one small house, and 
that belonged to Mr. Williams — now, it 
has several hundred houses, and a popula- 
tion of about seven thousand.* It would 
be an Herculean task, for any man to 
pourtray with an accurate pencil the in- 
crease of population, and the vast improve- 

(*NoTE — June, 1848.) — Since this was 
written the growth of East Boston has 
been rapid beyond any thing that wms ev- 
dreamgd of by any of the "oldest inhabi- 
tants." The population cannot be less 
than ten thousand, at this time ; it will 
soon be large enough to be a city by itself. 



ments, which have taken place, in the 
towns surrounding Boston within the pe- 
riod I have named. 

There are several ship yards at East 
Boston, at which about two hundred work- 
men are constantly employed ; the carpen- 
ters receive from S2 to $2,50 per day — 
the laborers, of course, receive much less. 
A number of elegant ships have been re- 
cently launched there — two of them of 
seven hundred tons each. There is also an 
extensive sugar refining establishment, 
which gives employment to about one 
hundred men, Germans and Americans. 
It is eight stories high, and is owned by a 
few capitalists of Boston, who are said to 
divide twenty per cent, profits annually. 
There are over one hundred houses, prin- 
cipally brick, novv going up. Real estate 
pays well; houses which cost only S1600, 
including the land, readily let for Si 75 to 
200 per annum — half a mile from the 
steam-boat landing. About half the peo- 
ple who reside at East Boston do their 
business in the city. It stands in about 
the same relation to Boston, that Brooklyn 
does to New-York ; and, although large 
fortunes have been sunk there, by injudi- 
cious land speculators, small fortunes have 
been made by industrious, deserving me- 
chanics: it is now going ahead with rail- 
road speed, and nothing can stop its on- 
ward march to prosperity, greatness, and 
wealth. The foundries and shops at this 
thriving place give constant employment 
to hundreds of laborers and artisans. 

Lynn is another town which has exper- 
ienced much improvement in its business 
and growth within a few years ; and it is 
still destined to enjoy a larger share of 
prosperity, for its inhabitants are enterpris- 
ing, industrious, intelligent, and determined 
to keep pace with the wants and improve- 
ments of the age. There are two or three 
hotels in Lynn, and in the summer season 
many people in Boston are in the habit of 
boarding there. The shoe manufacturing 
business is carried on more extensively in 
Lynn, than in any other town in New-Eng- 
land. In the money pressure of 1836 and 



OR RANDOM SKETCHES. 



29 



'37, it suffered severely — almost every 

large manufacturer failed — and the labors 
of all classes were suspended. It is now, 
however, again in a very promising condi- 
tion. 

The railroad has done something to 
build up the town of Lynn, as it is now 
only twenty minutes ride from Boston to 
that flourishing hive of industry. j 

This facility in travelling between the 

two places has also been of advantage to 

the keepers of public houses at Phillips's 

beach, which, I understand, have been 

overrun the whole summer. The new 

" Rockaway House," which has an elegant I 

location, and faces the broad Ocean, has 

been crowded with agreeable company, 

who have showered the most flattering 

compliments upon their worthy host. This ; 

place has crept along wonderfully within 

a few years; and Mr. William Fenno is 

entitled to the credit of having built the i 

. i 

first public house there. His lady is com- j 

petent, intelligent, and efficient — perhaps | 
as much so as any one that ever had the 
management of a large house of enter- j 
tainment. There are some excellent and 
highly productive farms in that vicinity 
belonging to the Phillips family, who are 
wealthy, and raise large quantities of pro- 
duce lor the Salem and Boston markets. 
The foreign winter marrow-squash has a 
vigorous growth there. When I was in the 
habit of visiting Phillips's beach, many 
years ago, there was but one house of en- 
tertainment — and that was a modest, un- 
fashionable little building, in which there 
was as much solid comfort as is usually 
found at the large hotels on the sea shore. 
The old lady who made the chowders, and 
fried the fish, will ever live in my memory, 
for I remember that she wore spectacles, 
that she was an excellent cook, that her 
tumblers and wine-glasses were always 
wiped with a clean napkin, and that it 
delighted her to see a visiter enjoy a good 
cigar. Such a woman was a treasure once ; 
and the thought of it 

" makes some men grieve, 



For the good old days of Adam and Eve." 



In taking leave of Phillips's Beach, per- 
mit me to say a word about the fishermen 
at Svvamscott — a hardy and industrious 
race of men, who spend much of their 
time on the "Ocean wave," in both winter 
and summer. The habits of these men 
are remarkable. Each one has a dory of 
his own, and in this he rows off cross-hand- 
ed, two or three miles, to the fishing ground 
below Egg Rock and Nahant — generally 
taking advantage of a flood-tide to com- 
mence operations. Having all things 
ready, he begins to fish, and continues 
that healthful exercise for several hours. 
As he makes a business of it, he never be- 
comes tired, like an effeminate landsman, 
and rarely " throws up his line"' until the 
state of the tide admonishes him to return 
home. Reaching the shore again, he finds 
men in waiting, with their wagons, to pur- 
chase the spoils of their labors for the 
Salem and other neighboring markets. 
He weighs out the fish, and delivers and re- 
ceives the money for them. It is entirely 
a cash business; and the earnings of a 
fisherman vary from two to five dollars a 
day — according to the luck he has upon 
the water. I have seen one — a few years 
since — receive ten dollars for his fare; that 
was on a forenoon, however, of uncommon 
success. In this way, with his own hands, 
with no capital invested, save that which 
God and Nature have furnished him, and 
with only a few hours toil daily in fair 
weather, he supports his family well. 
With good health, iron nerves, habits of 
sobriety and economy, he stands in need 
of no assistance from others ; but, in every 
sense of the word, he is independent, be- 
yond the reach of want and the flattery of 
false friends, and feels " as happy as a 
clam at high water." This is a true pic- 
ture of a Swamscott fisherman. 

I have seen some fifty or sixty of these 
men return to the beach at the same time, 
all of whom found a ready sale for their 
fares — some of which were good and 
others indifferent. They generally wear' 
long boots, tarpaulin hats, short jackets, 
and oilcloth trowsers : after arriving at the 



30 



NOTES ON THE SEA-SHORE ; 



beach, they have to do much of their 
" cleaning up" while standing in the water. 
I cannot close this letter without saying 
a word about Salem, a city in which there 
are many "merchant princes," much com- 
mercial enterprise, and an industrious, 
intelligent population. That place is vi- 
sited daily by strangers from the city, who 
spend a few hours very agreeably, in ex- 
amining the curiosities in the East India 
museum — looking at the house in which 
old Capt. White was murdered by Richard 
Crowninshieltl, and other objects of inter- 
est — and in eating a good dinner ; they 
then return to Boston, with an improved 
and contented mind, and a full stomach. 
But Salem has been so long, and so justly 
celebrated, for its enterprise and wealth, 
its merchants and navigators have been so 
well and so favorably known, in every part 
of the habitable globe, that it is unnecessa- 
ry for me to speak particularly of it, or of 
them, at this time. It is but a few years 
since, as I well remember, that over one 
hundred sail of square-rigged vessels, be- 
longing to that port, were trading, at the 
same time, with different places in the 
East Indies, China, on the North West 
Coast, &c. ; and her celebrated museum, 
built up and adorned by her hardy and 
intelligent navigators, will, for centuries, 
be an object of the greatest curiosity to all 
classes of inquisitive travellers, whose 
good fortune it shall be to wend their way 
to the spot which was, some time after the 
flood, much celebrated for the exciting 
scenes of witchcraft that prevailed there I 
I suppose that this remark will remind 
you of the good hearted cow, which yield- 
ed a generous bucket of milk to the dairy- 
maid, and then kicked both maid and 
bucket over. 

CkS" In our article about Nahant, we 
ought to have mentioned, when speaking 
of Mr. Caleb Johnson's seven sons, that 
one of the likeliest of them keeps an es- 
tablishment, on Bromfield-street, for the 
sale of fish, and that, in the summer, he 
receives every forenoon a fresh supply of 
cod and haddock, a few hours only from 
the depths of the Ocean. He supplies the 
hotels at Springfield, Albany, Syracuse, 
and other places, daily, with/?-es/i fish. 



LETTER V. 

Newhuryport — Lord Timothy Dexter — remarkable 
case of the rescue from drowning of a mother, by 
her own child, a giii of only twelve years of age 
—poetry — Cape Ann. 

NewburyporTj September, 1845. 

This is one of the most delightful sum- 
mer residences in New-England, and I find 
many people here from Boston, who have 
been spending several weeks with their '^ 
friends. There are two or three excellent 
hotels here, and visiters can find comfort- 
able accommodations in them, and in pri- 
vate families, at moderate prices. 

Ncwburyport was formerly celebrated 
for its commercial enterprise, but the most 
flourishing part of the town having been 
destroyed by fire, some thirty years ago, 
its growth and prosperity received a check 
from which it did not entirely recover for 
a long time : it is now in a very thriving 
condition. Ship-building is carried on ex- 
tensively here, and the introduction of 
several manufacturing establishments has 
given new life to the business of the place, 
and new hopes to all classes of its citi- 
zens. It was once distinguished, also, on 
account of its being the chosen residence 
of Lord Timothy Dexter, a very eccentric 
character, a man of singular habits and 
passions, uncommon luck as a merchant, 
and an author of no mean pretensions. His 
mercantile operations are still talked about 
in this place, with much feeling and some 
fun — and there are a few particles of scan- 
dal afloat on the Merrimac in relation to 
his character. 

His shipment of several hundred warm- 
ing-pans to the West Indies, and the 
profitable result of that shipment, will not 
soon be forgotten by those who are famil- 
iar with the story. These pans, which 
his lordship sent out to warm the planters' 
beds with, were used for a very different 
purpose — to dip up molasses I For this 
they were found highly useful. Lord 
Dexter was the author of a valuable work 
on '■ trade and commerce," called " a Pic- 



OR RANDOM SKETCHES. 



81 



kle for the Knowing Ones/' which was 
printed, under his special direction, with- 
out punctuation of any kind — commas, 
semi-colons, colons or periods : it speedily 
run through several editions — or, if did 
not, it ought to have done so, for in his 
time people did not •' mind their stops'' 
with that attention which is given to them 
at the present day.* 

It is now over thirty years since I tried 
to commit to memory some of the shrewd 
ma.\ims of his lordship. At that time, he 
had the best estate in Newburyport: and, 
as he trudged along, with his cocked-hat 
and cane and little dog, there were many 
men who would gladly raise their hats to 
hira, and many wome,i who would conde- 
scend to favour him with a smile — because 
he was reputed to be wealthy. How much 
like human nature that ! It was not the 
man, but his riches, that elicited the admi- 
ration and flattery of those poor creatures : 
although he had the form of a man, w-ore 
electric pantaloons and was said to be very 
fond of ladies, yet there was little of the 
grandeur and greatness of that noble ani- 
male, man, in his composition. At this 

*(NoTE — June, 1848 ) — Our remarks in 
relation to Dexter were penned three years 
ago. It appears, by two or three editorial 
articles which wo have recently read in 
the Boston Herald, relating to that famous 
individual, that some of the stories related 
about him are untrue. The Herald makes 
no mention of his sending warming-pans 
to the West Indies ; and its statements, 
which were gathered from a work just 
published by Mr. G. N. Thompson, enti- 
tled the " Life of Timothy De.xter," by S. 
L. Knapp, differ in other respects from 
those we have made. All who feel inter- 
ested in the subject can buy this little 
work, as it is probably more aulli(Mitic than 
the stories which were floating about when 
we gathered the fragments we have here 
worked up. Uexter was born in Maiden, 
in 174.3, and died in Newburyport, in 1806. 
He had two children — one son and a 
daughter ; the former, after leading a very 
dissolute life, dietl young, and the latter 
" turned out badly and died a lunatic." 
We suppose the old ma.vim, "what is got 
over the devil's back generally goes under 
his belly," had an application in this case. 



day, no one honors the memory of Lord 
Timothy Dexter. Where are your warm- 
ing-pans and riches now, my old friend ? — 
w-here, your statues, your dogs, your cats, 
and your sycophantic worshippers ? 

De.xter's mansion is, as I was informed, 
occupied by a lady named Marshall, who 
keeps a respectable boarding-house in the 
very halls in which his lordship planned 
his financial operations and his famous 
West India voyages — in the very building 
where, with "honest old stingo," he was 
wont to " moisten his clay," and prepare 
it for the hands of the potter. 

I have said that Dexter was an eccentric 
individual. He was emphatically so. 
Among other things, it is related of him 
that he had a tomb built in the back part 
of his house, long before his death ; he 
had also, an elegant mahogany coffin made 
— and covered with black velvet — into 
which the old gentleman would often get, 
and remain for hours together. In addi- 
tion to this, it is said that, on one occasion, 
he had a mock-funeral at his house, to 
which he invited all his friends and neigh- 
bors. Religious services were performed, 
while his lordship was lying, wide-awake, 
in his coffin — after which, the coffin, and 
its precious contents, were removed, and 
formally deposited in a vault constructed 
on purpose to receive it. It was certainly a 
queer conceit of the old sinner; but the 
story is said to be a veritable one. Indeed, 
there was no end to his vagaries. If one 
half of the anecdotes related about him 
are true, — and I know of no reason to 
doubt their truth, — he was the most re- 
markable man of his-tirne. At his death 
he was a widower : he left a large fortune, 
and, I believe, only one child—a daughter. 

This peaceable town has been suddenly 
thrown into a state of commotion, caused 
by intelligence received from Plum Island, 
a place of fashionable resort, of the re- 
markable feats of a little daughter of Mr. 
James Oakes of Boston. While bathing, 
she saved her mother and her aunt, Mrs. 
Moseley, from a watery grave, under 
very peculiar circumstances. The paitic- 



32 



NOTES ON THE SEA-SHORE 



ulars of this interesting affair are given 
in the annexed extract, from the pen of a 
gentleman who is well acquainted with 
all that transpired : — 

WONDERFUL EESCUE— A DAUGH- 
TER'S DEVOTION. 
On Monday afternoon last a party of larlies, 
consisting of Mrs. D. C. Moseley, Mrs. James 
Oakcs, Mrs. R. N. Berry, Mrs." Whiting, and 
Miss Garafclia Oakes, (daiisliter of James O.) 
aged abotit 12 years, all of Boston, accompa- 
nied by Mrs. J."^J. Knapp, her daughter Laura 
Knapp, 14 years old. with Miss Caroline Pierce, 
of Newburyport, started from the latter place, 
for Plum Island, (three miles from Newbury- 
port,) for the purpose of bathing — Mrs. Mose- 
ley, Mrs. Oakes, Mrs. Knapp, and Miss Pierce 
are sisters. Mrs. Knapp and daughter, Mrs. 
Moseley, and Mrs. Oakes and daughter Gara- 
fclia, had been in to bathe : they all came out 
of the water except Mrs. Moseley, and went a 
short distance upon the beach to dress. While 
they were dressing, Mrs. Berry, who was upon 



already sank ; as she rose, the heroic child, al- 
thougli much exhausted, swam to her aunt, 
calliu;;: out, at the top of her voice, " keep up 
aunty! a minute longer ! I'm coming, I have 
mother safe, and will get you too !" She reached 
her, and seizing her by one of her hands, that 
being all that could be seen aliove water, drew 
her also on shore, by which time Mrs. Whiting 
had arrived with assistance, which she ran for, 
on hearing the first scream. 

Doctor Atkinson, and M'ife of Newburyport, 
who happened to be upon the island, were" soon 
at hand ; both he and his lady rendered great 
assistance in restoring to animation the two la- 
dies who had been in so perilous a situation. 
Mr. Thompson and fiimily, keeper of the hotel 
on the island, as well as Mr. and Mrs. J. M. 
Titcomb of Newburyport, rendered great assis- 
tance to the distressed party. Doctor Atkin- 
son arrived at the moment Mrs. Berry and 
Garafelia had got Mrs. Moseley on sliore ; be- 
fore the child could reach Mrs. M. she had drift- 
ed some distance from the place where Mrs. 
Oakes was taken, but towards a point of land, 



the' beach near bvr heard Mrs.' Moselev scream ' '^^'^'^'^ ^^'^'^ ''^° distance less to the shore, than 
save me ! save me ! I'm drownincr i Mrs Ber- ' '* ^^°"''^ '^^''^ ^'^^^^ ^^ '^'^^^ '^'^^'^'^^ *^''S- ^I- »* 
rv called to Mrs. Knapp, and said, " vour sister ' ^^% ^'^^^ ^^^^^ she had her mother,— and so 
is drowning ;" althou<-li unable to swim Mrs self-possessed was the child, that she made for 
K. rushed into the water to save her sister but ^^^ nearest point of land ! Doctor Atkinson 
immediately found herself beyond her depth, and states that the child appeared entirely uneon- 
called upon Mrs. Berry to save her for " her ^^'°"* °^ ^"^ '^^^'"''^ ^^^ wonderful feat she had 



dear children's sake!" Notwithstanding Mrs. 
Berry was in full dress, she waded into the wa- 
ter as far as she possibly could, without loosing 
her balance, seized a part of Mis. Knapp's 
clothing, and succeeded in drawing her onshore. 



performed, nor did she appear but little frustra- 
ted, until he seized her in his arms, and called 
the ladies to take her to Mr. Thompson's house, 
put her immediately in bed, and administer 
warm drinks ; when she heard this, she scream- 



Bv this time. Miss Laura Knapp arrived at the ^'^ °"*' "'^°"'' ^^^^ ^^ ^'"'"^ mother, is mother 
spot, and being an expert swimmer, darted into ^^^'^ '" instantly running and throwing herself 
tlie water, without anv life preserver, swam to "P^" ^^^"^ "pother, who was being raised from 
her aunt, Mrs. Moseley, who grappled the ^"^ '^'^^^'^ '^^ ^^^ ''^^"'^- '^''^ ^'^^^ '^'"''^ ^'^"^ 
child, the instant she was in reach pushin'^ her t'l'ied perfectly frantic for some minutes, call- 
under water, but on coming to the surface ac-ain lin.'^/or her mother to speak! Both Doctor 
she was some distance from Mrs. M and very Atkinson and Mr. Titcomb say it was, beyond 
naturally, being frio-htened, made for the shore I "description, the most affecting scene they ever 



witnessed ; and none but an eye witness can 
have any conception of it, nor can they give a 
true description of the distressing picture. 

Doctor Atkinson, thinks Mrs. Oakes could 
not have lived in the water two minutes longer, 
notwithstanding she was not in near so long as 
Mrs. Moseley, but evidently had swallowed 
much more water. 

The self-possession of Mrs. BeiTv, and the 
astonishing courage, quickness, and persever- 
ance of that little heroine Garafelia Oakes, pre- 
vented a catastrophe that would have been heart- 
rending. 

The above very remarkable incident 
has set the poets at work, as might have 
been e.xpected ; and some touching effu- 

and^vMtl, the assistance of MissPierce(sisterto I j^ions have been penned in honor of the 
Mrs. O.) drew her upon the beach, and laid her ! , -ri i-u > r , , •, , i 

down with every appearance of a drowned per- ; beautilui child who fearlessly risked her 
son. Amidst all the confusion and distress, | own life to save that of her mother. One 

J!'%?f/7'' f ^-P^ef^^^'?" ^'^\ '^ot deserted | of the prettiest compliments that I have 

her, as she implored Garafelia to leave her mo- 1 ^ ' 

ther and save her aunt, Mrs. Moselev, who had ^^'^^ ^^^'^ copied from a Saint Louis 



where Mrs. Oakes had arrived. Mrs. 0. in- 
stantly plunged in to save her sister, but she too, 
soon found herself drowning, (not being able 
to swim,) and cried out to Mrs. Berry — "save 
me! save me! Garafelia save your mother ! save 
me !" Mrs. Berry seeing that both Mrs. 0. 
and Mrs. M. must drown without instant succor, 
with uncommon presence of mind called to 
Garafelia, " to put on her life preserver and 
save her mother;" the litde heroine, in an in- 
stant, had on her preserver, Mhich is a very 
large one, and fortunately was inflated at th"e 
time, swam to the spot where her mother was 
sinkinjr, (nothing then to be seen of Mrs. O. 
from the shore, except her hand.) seized her 
by the hair of the head, and dragged her to 
Mrs. Berry, who had waded in to receive her, 



OR RANDOM SKETCHES. 



17 



have availed ourselves of some of his con- 
tributions, in a condensed form. 

The first private decked boat ever moor- 
ed at Nahant for the summer was the Mer- 
maid, of 12 tons— this was in 1832 or '33. 
She remained two summers, and was therr 
sold to William P. Winchester, Esq, who 
kept her until the Northern Light was 
launched, when he parted with her. She 
is still running, and is as pretty as ever — 
as "good as new." 

The next yacht was the Raven, a swift 
and beautiful sprite of the wave, of 12 tons, 
and is owned by Benjamin C. Clark, Esq., 
under whose direction she was built. She 
took the place of the Mermaid in 1835 or 
'36, and is still at Nahant. Like the splen- 
did Northern Light of Col. Winchester — 
than which a more finished and powerful 
yacht, of her size, never graced the Ocean 
— the Raven has done good service for her 
owner, and won numerous laurels, which 
she bears as gracefully in her beak at the 
present time as she did when they were 
first acquired. We refer the reader to a 
well-written account of one of the suc- 
cessful efforts of the Raven, from the pen 
of a friend, in another page. 

The third was the Susan, of 18 tons, 
owned by Mr. Lowell. She came soon 
after the Raven, and was parted with at 
the end of the season : she now belongs to 
Mr. Drew. The fourth yacht that had 
moorings for the whole season was the Av- 
on, of 11 tons, a pretty boat and a fast one. 
Afterwards came the Brenda, of 30 tons, 
ovi'ned by Mr. David Sears, jr. Next and 
last was the Cloud, of 22 tons, owned by 
J. H. Gray, Esq., which took her moorings 
at the close of the last summer, and proves 
to be not only a very handsome and com- 
fortable boat, but a good sailer. 

The Foam, which is moored nearest the 
steam-boat wharf, is about four years old, 
24 tons, and is owned by Mr. Jonathan 
Johnson, who allows her to take out par- 
ties during the summer. She is one of the 
swiftest, and at the same time one of the 
most weatherly vessels of her class in the 
bay, and a seat in her cabin, with Mr. Jon- 



athan at the helm, is about the safest place 
that can be found on the ocean. 

And while on the subject of yachts be- 
longing to Nahant, we may be permitted 
to extend our remarks to Phillips's Beach- 

At Swamscott, there is no private yacht 
— save the Breeze, which is owned by 
William H. Boardman, Esq., as clever a 
specimen of human nature as ever sailed 
a boat in a stiff breeze ; and she is there 
only occasionally. She is a good craft, of 
about 45 tons. 

The fishing schooners of Swamscott 
are superior vessels. The Woodside, the 
Stars and Stripes, and the Jane, are parti- 
cularly swift, and the others are " not 
slow." 

The coast, from the Ocean House to the 
eastward, for three or four miles, (coast of 
Sumatra, some call it) is quite pretty, and 
in a stiff norther afTords a good lee for fish- 
ing and boat-sailing. It is a good neigh- 
borhood for codfish. 

Tinker's Island, off Marblehead Neck, 
is a very romantic spot, but is rarely visi- 
ted except by fishermen • two or three 
times each summer, perhaps, will be seen 
there a party from Nahant. It is divided 
from the Neck by a channel of half a mile, 
but at low tide a bar of sand and rocks is 
visible nearly across. There is a house 
for wrecked seamen on the island. 

Nahant, August, 1848. 

Dear Shade: I have yours of the 11th, 
and have read the manuscript with plea- 
sure. The touch at the sea-serpent is par- 
ticularly happy ; but 1 should have han- 
dled that " ancient and fishlike" humbug 
with more severity. You have talked with 
a good many fishermen; but did you ever 
find an intelligent one that ever saw the 
creature? I never did — nor one that be- 
lieved in its existence. 

During the past sixteen summers, I have 
crossed from Boston to Nahant, and from 
Nahant to Boston, about twelve hundred 
limes. Each year, when August came — 
the witching time for the sea-serpent — the 
places where the mackerel "most do con- 
congregate" were visited by horse mack- 
erel. Some of these fish are very large — 
and when the sea has been without a rip- 
ple, I have seen its leaden surface shov? 



18 



NOTES ON THE SEA-SHORE ; 



the track of a bis; one to the extent of sev- ' 
enty feet, ia a manner tlial woiil 1 deceive 
the keenest eye. But you have seen all 
this — and have therefore just as surely ■ 
seen the sea-serpent as I have ! 

I believe you will find that Capt. Rich 
captured a horse-mackerel of 17 or 18 feet, 
and that a place near Fort-hill, (and not 
Faneuil Hall) was prepared for what the 
captain truly said was the only sea-snake 
he could find for the people. It was un- 
derstood, at one time, that some gentlemen 
owned a large property, prospectively, in j 
the sea-serpent ! | 

Touching the inhabitants of Nahant, the 
man, above all othens — as you have inti- | 
mated — deserving unqualified praise, is 
Mr. Tudor, who has not only done won- 
ders, on his own place, but has, in the 
kindest manner, and with most excellent 
judgment, pointed out to his neighbors the 
fruits of his own experience, and freely and 
gratuitously proffered them the means of 
encompassing the same advantages. Mr. 
Coolidge, also, did a great deal towards 
building up Nahant, as you have men- 
tioned. 

In your notice of yachting, do not forget 
to introduce the Northern Light, and her 
kind, generous, and gentlemanly owner: — 
just ask those who know the colonel well, 
and they will tell you more good of him 
than 1 have time to record. 

There was a Doctor Eastman who prac- 
ticed at Nahant and Lynn for two or three 
years, and who was much respected. A 
few months ago, (as I heard the story) he 
made a post-mortem examination of a body 
in a bad condition, and having a scratch 
upon one of his hands he became poisoned. 
He was pretty well satisfietl that his life 
was lost, and called in several professional 
friends, who agreed with him in opinion, 
when, with the utmost firmness, he called 
on those around him and bade them an af- 
fectionate farewell ; but he soon afterwards 
left for Maine, where his connexions and 
early friends resided. He was an excel- 
lent man, and therefore entitled to the tri- 
bute of a kind remembrance. 

I am glad to see you speak well of Mr. 
Drew, for both he and his wife deserve the 
very handsome notice you have given 
them ; and it will be the more grateful be- 
cause, in certain quarters, there exists an 
ungenerous, if not contemptible disposition, 
towards the Nahant Hotel. I do not allude 
to persons who follow the same business, 
for, so far as Nahant is concerned, they 
mind their own affairs ; but there is a 
class of people who, having no business 
of their own to attend to, busy themselves 



in instructing persons far more competent 
than themselves ; and any departure from 
their gratuitous counsel subjects the daring 
offender to the grave charge of " democ- 
racy !"' With us, the true relation between 
the hotel keeper and his visiters seems not 
generally to be understood. The former 
is no more a servant than the lawyer or 
the physician ; and if he ofTends, the rem- 
edy IS plain — and escape from him is far 
easier than it sometimes is from the hands 
of the professional gentlemen. Nothing 
is more common than complaints against 
the best public houses in the country — 
even the Tremont has not always escaped : 
and yet the discontented ones are satisfied 
there is nothing better, and never, or very 
rarely, desert it. It is not to be supposed; 
however, that the accomplished keepers of 
that establishment entertain any particular 
affection for persons so clearly inconsis- 
tent, or that they would step aside very 
far, to perform any extra professional ser- 
vices for them. If they even tolerated 
ihem, it would be by the exercise of a 
strained courtesy, and not from the con- 
viction of any obligation to do so. 

AN ACCOUNT OF THE FIRST RE- 
GATTA AT NAHANT. 

On the 1 9th of July, 1845, a regatta, M'hich 
had been long talked of, came oft" at Nahant. 
It was free for all vessels of not more than 50 
tons nor less than 10. The prizes offered were 
a silver cup valued at S50, and a suit of colors. 
An allowance of one half a minute per ton Avas 
made by the larger boats to the smaller ones on 
the difterence of tonnage. The course run was 
from Kahant, round the Graves, outside of a 
station-boat on the northwest side ; thence round 
Egg rock, on the north, back to the judges' boat 
off Joseph's cove, Nahant. A very large num- 
ber of persons from Boston and tlie neighbor- 
ing towns, were collected to witness the trial — 
all the el!gil)le points for observation were 
thronged, and the bay in the neighborhood of 
the peninsula was studded with boats of every 
description filled with spectators. 

At half past three o'clock the contending 
yachts, eleven in number, all schooner rigged, 
were ranged from east to west off the south 
west bluff, in the fohowing order : — The Nauti- 
lus 11 tons, Avon 11 tons, Neptimc 11 tons, 
Raven 12 tons, Pathfinder 12 tons, Naid Queen 
15 tons, Gipsey 21 tons. Alert 22 tons, Vision 
24 tons, Odd Fellow 30 tons, and Cygnet 31 
tons. Their foresails and mainsails were hoist- 
ed, and each boat was held by a single hne 
made fast to a separate mooring. 

A single glance at the boats would have sat- 
isfied any one, that the intrinsic value of the 
prizes was deemed of small moment in compar- 
ison with the claims for superiority ; it was evi- 
dently to be a trial for championship. The 
Cyguet, the Odd Fellow and the Vision, were 



OR RANDOM SKETCHES. 



19 



each celebrated for some particuLar quality 
deemed vital in a boat-race. That the prize 
would fall amon<jst tlie largest boats there ex- 
isted not a doubt, and tlie chances for the cup 
were considered to be decidedly in fovor of tiie 
Cygnet, but by far the most interesting point 
to be determined was the long mooted question 
of superiority among the yachts of 11 to 15- 
tons ; these were not business boats, Init the 
productions of scientific amateurs, aiming at 
speed, and on the score of beauty and condition 
these little vessels would not have suft'ered in 
comparison with the finest boats of any coun- 
try. They were indeed the picked and chosen 
ones of tiie w!iole bay; each one bad her 
" troops of friends," and each claimed an owner 
who felt no emtjarrassnxent in entering the list 
for a jjublic trial. Although these yachts were 
by no means strangers to each other, yet there 
was a wide difference in opinion in regard to 
their respective merits ; an occasional chance 
brush in the bay, (with " stores on board," '-foul 
copper," "a skiff in tow," &c.) so far from af- 
fording any criterion by wliicli they could be 
judged, seemed only to mystify their preten- 
sions. 

The Nautilus was known to be a very fast 
boat in smootli water, and on this occasion ev- 
erything seemed favorable for the development 
of the good points claimed for her. The Avon 
maintained a high rank; she was considered a 
fair match for the Nautilus, in common winds, 
and her superior in strong breezes ; before com- 
ing into line she made two or three hitclies, and 
her quick movements greatly encouraged the 
strong hopes entertained for her by her friends ; 
she was lighter than usual, lier ballast liaving 
been arranged to suit the breeze. 

The Neptune was not so well known as most 
of the others ; she had however a good name, 
and being but partly decked possessed in that 
particular an important advantage over all her 
companions. 

The Raven, (long, deep, and sharp.) was 
widely and favorably known. The Pathfinder 
was known to be a very weathcrly boat and her 
friends would readily have backed her against 
any of her companions in size. Tlie" Naid 
Queen, although a boat of excessive beam, was 
notoriously fast in all kinds of weather. 

The Gipsey iiad established a good name 
from her performances in strong breezes rather 
than from her superior excellence in light 
winds. The Alert was a new boat of great 
beam, fair lines and small draft. It was not 
supposed she could do much by the wind, but 
in running large it was believed she would hur- 
ry the best of tlie fleet. 

At a quarter before four, the signal gun was 
fired — the moorings were dropped, and the jibs 
run up at tlie same instant. The start to look- 
ers on seemed a ])erfect one : and the l)cautifnl 
appearance of the little vessels, as tliey flitted 
away together, elicited much admiration. The 
wind was from the south east, consequently it 
was nearly a dead beat to the Graves. The 
boats started with their larboard tacks aboard 
and headed for Broad Sound, running four and 
a half to five knots. Immcdiatelv after fiilinc: 



away it was perceived that the Vision, from 
having a sliglit advance at the start, had lap- 
ped the Odd Fellow, and taken the wind out of 
her sails, the latter however soon kept oft", took 
the wind cmt ahead of the former, and passed 
on ahead. 

The Raven from a smilar cause suffered in 
a much greater degree. The Neptune filled 
away upon her beam, and becalmed her for 
about twenty mhiutes. Unlike the Odd Fellow 
(wliich was the leeward boat but one in the 
fleet) the Raven had several boats under her lee 
bow and could not keep away, to shake the 
Neptune off, witliout interfering injuriously 
with her neighbors. Thus hemmed in she was 
compelled either to remain in company witli 
the Nei)tune during the whole tack, or to heave 
to and let her pass to windward. The latter al- 
ternative was submitted to, and her sheets were 
slacked up until the Neptune had passed ahead 
several lengths, when the Raven trimmed aft 
again, crossed her wake, and passed to wind- 
ward of her. If her rate of sailing after she 
had cleared the Neptune may be considered a 
thing to judge by, she must have lost more than 
a mile from tlie interference at the start. 

At aliout a quarter past four, the Cygnet, 
Odd Fellow and Vision, tacked to the eastward. 
Strontr indications of a wind more southerly 
probably induced this movement. The manoeu- 
vre, liowever, altliough well designed, was not 
completely successful, for, notwithstanding the 
wind did haul slightly to the southward, the 
three large boats weathered the Graves with 
difficulty at a limping gait. The next boat was 
the Raven ; after passing half a mile beyond 
the wake of the others she tacked to the east- 
ward, and passed the Graves, going a wrap full. 
The Alert followed the Raven ; the other boats 
were now a long way in the rear, and it was 
quite apparent that the matter was settled so 
far as tliey were concerned, still it was a subject 
of regret that they did not complete the distance 
named in the conditions of the race, inasmuch 
as the prize was offered only with a view of 
ascertaining how far the pretensions of the 
different yachts would be justified by their 
performances. 

The Cygnet and the Odd Fellow passed the 
Graves nearly together, next came the Vision 
with the Raven close upon her — np to this 
period the Raven was in good time, for the first 
prize, but it was consiflered that in working to 
windward her best play had been seen, and 
that on the return, in running at large, her ra- 
king masts and heavy draft would cause her to 
drop far astern of the larger boats, whose ar- 
rangements and ability for going free were sup- 
posed to be vastly superior. 

Upon squaring away, however, this opinion 
proved to be ill founded, for when half of the 
distance between the (Jraves and Egg Rock h:id 
been made, it was obvious tliat the Raven had 
not only neared the head boats considerably, 
but had also dropped tlic Alert still farther 
astern. When abreast of Egg Rock one of the 
crew of the Odd Fellow fell overboard ; in 
rounding to pick him u]) she lost some minutes. 
The Raven also lost some time by jibing her 



20 



NOTES ON THE SEA-SIIORE 



foresail and standing for the exposed individnal. 

From tlie conimcncenient of the race tlie 
Avind had been gradually increasing, and when 
the boats hauled on a wind under the lee of 
Egg Rock the breeze was quite fresh. They 
passed the station lioat olf East Point, Nahant, 
running at least nine knots, and came to abreast 
of the judges' boat in beautiful style in the fol- 
lowing order. Cygnet at 6, 12;" Vision at 6, 
14; and the Raven at 6, IG — the latter boat 
taking the first prize, with some minutes to 
spare — the second i:)rize was awarded to the 
Vision. 

The detention of the Odd Eellow, although 
it may have prevented her coming in as early 
as the Cygnet, did not affect the chance for a 
prize. The result, so far as tlie Raven was con- 
cerned, was deemed most extraordinary, and 
her performance elicited consideraV)le specula- 
tion. By some it was thought that the allow- 
ance of time was too great, but others, more 
skilled in nautical matters, considered that if it 
were so, the prizes would both have fallen to 
boats of the Raven's class, whereas it appears 
that neither the Avon, Neptune, Nautilus, Naid 
Queen or the Pathfinder, were or could have 
been within four or five miles of even the sec- 
ond prize, which was taken by a bout of 24 
tons, in a close contest with the two yachts of 
30 and 31 tons. The distance sailed (about 20 
miles) was performed by the leading boats, in 
about 2^ hours, wliich, considering the wind at 
the start, was excellent time. 

Thus closed one of the most beautiful and 
exciting regattas ever witnessed in this country. 

The skill and propriety evinced in getting up 
the exhibition were ec(ualled only by the perfect 
liarmony and good feeling whidi 'marked its 
close. 



While upon matters connected with the 
sea, we have thought that the following 
capital story, illustrating the dangers of 
yacht sailing in Boston bay, would be ac- 
ceptable to readers. It originally appear- 
ed in the Boston Atlas : — 

NARROW ESCAPE IN MASSACHU- 
SETTS BAY. 

Towards tlie close of a beautiful afternoon in 
July, just as the setting- sun had shed hi.s last rays 
upon the lofty canvass of a ship in the offing-, and 
the small fishing schooners were returning, like 
sea-gulls, to their wave-girdled nests, three ama- 
teur yachters started from Gloucester, in a pret- 
ty yacht of about ten tons, bound for Nahant. 
The wind was light from the westward ; of 
course, there was no prospect of a quick run, but 
the evening was delightful; indeed, it was one 
of those nights when '■ fear may lay him down to 
sleep." The day, ho-^vever, had been intensely 
warm, and a scorching sun had given denote- 
ment of one of those sudden and violent changes 
which are not utifrequent in midummer. 



At about 11 o'clock, the sky in the north looked 
portentous ; a pitch Ijlack cloud had risen a lew 
degrees above the horizon, and spread along from 
the northwest to the northeast. The appearance 
was wild and threatening, and an occasional 
gleam of lightning indicated that it contained 
the elements of strife ; the atmosphere, too, had 
become close. These indications where unheed- 
ed by the yachters ; they cared no more for the 
thunder-cloud than they did for the smoke of the 
" regalias" which curled over their heads ; the 
boat was a good one — '" she had braved it before, 
and could brave it again." and come what might, 
they were in shape for it. 

In a light wind the tiller does not minister 
much to the poetry of sailing, and companion- 
ship with it at such a time is not desirable; con- 
sequently, on this occasion the helm was relieved 
half a dozen times before midnight, and but little 
regard paid to the course of the yacht. At about 
half past twelve the moon went down, the breeze 
freshened, and a haze set in which obscured the 
horizon. The Boston and Long Island lights, 
however, were dimly visible in the distance. 
Nothing material occurred until half-past one, 
when the flapping of the sails (the boat had been 
brought suddenly to the wind,) and the shout 
from the helm " below there !" aroused the two 
sleepers. " It is a squall ?" cried one of them, as 
he coolly stepped up the companionway- "' No," 
replied the helmsman, '' the smut in the north 
has settled away, but look yonder." '• A rock 1" 
shouted the other, rubbing his eyes. " There 
must have been wild steering, somewhere, for 
we are on the Cohasset side— fill away to the 
northward." The yacht -w-as then kept away 
north by east. Each professed to believe he had 
seen one of the Cohasset rocks, but at the same 
time felt that owing to the variety of steering, 
the current, and the haze, they were quite as 
likely to be somewhere else. This feeling, how- 
ever, induced only an indiflerent lookout, and 
with an increasing breeze they sped along- 
merrily. Not more than twenty minutes had 
elapsed before the -watch forward cried, " break- 
ers ahead I hard down your helm !" 

The boat shot clear, but near enough to show 
a small greyish rock, around which the water 
must have been bold, as the break was very 
slight. The yacht was brought to the wind again, 
and a council held The first rock could not 
have been on the Cohasset shore, as north by 
east would have cleared every thing. What was 
it, then? It must have been the Hardings, and 
the one just passed must have been the North- 
east Breaker, off' the Graves,— but the Graves 
were not visible; that w>^.s no doubt owing to 
the mist which had now settled close all around. 
The bearings of the outer light, however, con- 
flicted with this calculation, but the'compass rest- 
ed on the floor of the cabin, and might have 
been influenced by the pig iron directly below it; 
at any rate, the rock last seen might have been 
the Northeast Breaker, and away they went, 
heading north, the helmsman humming a boat 
song to the tune of a cracking breeze. They soon 
recollected that the northeast breaker was a dark 
kelp-Covered rock, altogether unlike the one they 
had just passed— on the other hand, the mist 
might have caused this unusual appearance. For 
a moment there -was a slight manifestation of 
distrust, but the song, the wn'tty remark, and the 
joyous laugh which tbilowed, .showed that it was 
but a momentary feeling—'' a rap full." was the 
word and on she went, while "a wake like the 



OR RANDOM SKETCHES. 



21 



maelstrom was boiling behind." So true is it 
that 

•' \Xe dance on a loom that may -weave ns a shroud." 

In less than ten minutes there was a simultane- 
ous exclamation, " Rocks I" and under the lee 
bow was seen a cluster of a dozen, so near that , 
as the sea laved them a titCul gleam of phosphor- [ 
ic light was distinctly visible, hi an instant the 
yacht was on the other tack — a sound like the 
surf of some beach was now heard : — this added 
to ihe embarrassment of the moment, and as no 
one ventured any farther opinion as to the where- 
abouts of the little vessel, it was deemed best to 
anchor. Safety was now the only thing to be 
consulted. 

The yacht was sharp, deep, heavily ballasted, 
and of delicate construction ; a blow, therefore, 
on a craggy rock, would have sent her down in 
two minutes. Moreover, the danger was magni- 
lled by the singular (iici that the water was quite 
bold, no smuulii gs having been found in less 
than seven fatlidms. 

While the bout was moving ahead slowly, 
lier sails shaking, and before the cable could be 
overhauled and the anchor keyed, the man at the 
helm shouted •' more rocks, by the ghost of Cee- 
sarl" There they were — five of them, just on 
the lee beam — small, grey, and nearly upon a 
level with the sea I The boat was brought to the 
wind immediately, her foresail dropped, and the 
jib left to windward — the ebb tide had nearly 
done, and by the lead it was found that the boat 
was nearly stationary, or at worst, drifting slowly 
over the track she had passed. The compass 
was now placed in the standing room, but it told 
the same story. If it was correct, every thing 
was right, as Long Island Light bore southwest 
by it. They had no chart, but they remembered 
that south west, with a moderate draft, was a 
good course for Long Island Head. 

They remained in this position (awaiting the 
day- light) for an hour, descanting upon the sinfru- 
larity of their adventure, and upon the unaccount- 
able things they had seen, when to their mortal 
horror they made a heap of rocks directlv ahead, 
in tlie very ransre of the Lijrht, which still bore 
southwest! This appearance was the more as- 
tounding, inasmuch as the yacht had scarcely 
steerage-way upon her. and yet the rocks were 
close aboard, and apparently nearing them fast 
— so rapidly indeed that there was not time to 
I:eep the boat away — one was already under her 
bowsprit. All hands now sprang forward, and 
applying their united strength to a strong boat 
hook, they succeeded in breasting off— not the 
boat — but a larce straw bed — one of a hundred 
and fifty, which, having been dischari-'ed from 
the iiiunigrant shi[,'S in quarantine the afternoon 
befnre, hat! been quietly drifting down the Soimd, 
to the great annoyance of the " yachters," with 
whose company ami respectful attention they 
had been lioiu)red for about four hours I 



NAn.\NT, Aur.usT, lR-18. 

In the way of romantic and exciting 
facts, much might be found if you had time 
to look it up. Some seventeen winters 
a2;o, Mr. Caleb Johnson started in the La- 
iayette (I think) from Cape Cod. With 
hiin were Iwo schooners bound for Swams- 



cott. At about 4, P. M. it came on to lilovv 
from the eastward, and a thick snow storm 
set in. 

Capt. Caleb put her away for Boston 
and ran with an increasing gale for some 
tiiTie, when the boat stiuck heavily, but 
passed on. Whether the rock they had 
rubbed upon so hard was the Hardini-s or 
whether it was one of the scattering break- 
ers which lie nearer the south shore, was 
unknown to them ; but in either case their 
situation was most alarming. With that 
promptness and nerve which characterise 
the iisliermen of Massachusetts bay, the 
Capt. resolved that they had passed over 
the Hardings and he steered accordingly. 
If he was right, the chance was still 'a 
desperate one ; if wrong, destruction was 
sure. The pumps were now soimded, but. 
notwithstanding the blow she had receiv- 
ed was a severe one, the little ciaft contin- 
ued tight ; the blasts grew longer and loud- 
er, and to escape the heavy sea astern the 
boat was crowded to the last inch of can- 
vass she could bear, and her masts bent 
like whip sticks. 

Suddenly the sea seemed all in heaps, 
and the cotTibers broke over the vessel in 
every direction. It was evidently the 
wind contending with a strong adverse 
current, and the captain, hoping it ml^ht 
be the ebb tide in the channel, passed the 
helm to his son, remarking as he went for- 
ward, "we shall be somewhere soon."' In 
two minutes after he shouted from the fore 
ringing— " hard down your helm— its all 
right !" And for an instant was seen just 
over the foremast head, the "Light dimly 
buinina:." They soon shot into darkness 
again, but the skipper had said "it was all 
right," and it was so, for them, for they run 
for the Spit, made it,— threaded their way 
through the Narrows and the shipping in 
the upper harbor, and soon made fast near 
the end of Long wharf. Btit their com- 
panions of the afternoon were less fortu- 
nate; one of them, in a shattered condition, 
got into Swamscott; the other went to 
pieces on ihe Pi^^s rocks (about three miles 
northeast of Nahant,) and all hands were 
lost. 

Towards midnight Capt. Johnson, not 
liking the sound of the weather, stepped 
from his berth to iro on deck, when he 
found two feet of water in the cabin of the 
boat. Upon examination afterwards, it 
appeared miraculous that the schooner 
ever reached even Liizlit House channel — 
so peculiarly dangerous was the damage 
she had sustained near her garboard. 

I am somewhat weary, but will mention 
one more incident, which happened some 



22 



NOTES ON THE SEA-SIIORE ; 



Iwenty-three years ago, in midwinter. 
Two Nahant fi:-hermen, (I do not remem- 
ber their names, but they were distinjituish- 
ed) started from Boston in a dory for Na- 
hant. They had money and articles for 
their families, the proceeds of the week's 
business. It was on a Saturday. At Point 
Shirley they stopped for a cnp of tea ; after 
which, and against the advice of iheirhost, 
they resumed their voyage in the face of a 
hard NE. wind After pulling about an 
hour, they were completely shroutled in 
darkness — the wind had freshened, and it 
was obvious that they were making but 
small headway ; the sea had also risen — 
so much 60 indeed that to return was out 
of the question. There was no shore to 
leeward near which a boat could have lived 
for one moment ; their oidy chance, then, 
was to go ahead ; and they tugged man- 
fully. In proportion as the case irrew des- 
perate, they parted with their freiirht, ami, 
package by package, one half of it had 
been thrown overboard, but with some de- 
gree of reluctance, for these men were 
formed to grapple with the shark, and not 
inclined to yield to common difficulties. 
The wind continued to increase until it 
blew a perfect gale. Finding it impossi- 
ble to keep her from svvamping, witli any 
extra weight on board, the boat was clear- 
ed'of every thing but the money, and they 
buckled to the oars again. They had 
scarcely began to realise any advantage 
from their altered trim before the snow be- 
gan to fly thickly — and in less than twenty 
minutes the poor little craft was carrying 
weight again. 

At this moment, they thought the water 
seemed to be a little smoother, and that 
consequently they must be nearing some 
part of Nahant — hastily they scooped out 
the snow which had collected in tlie boat, 
and again bent to their oars ; encouraged 
by the certainty that they were slowly 
making a lee they steadily applied their 
remaining strength, uuceitain yet, if it 
would be of any avail ; one of them, less 
hardy than his companion, was about to 
yield when the welcome sound of the sea 
dashing heavily upon the rocks burst up- 
on them. The first words s]T«ken for an 
half hour was in their simultaneous and 
joyous e.vclamation, " breakers" — in a few 
minutes they made the outline of bold 
land close aboard ; this they judged (and 
rightly) to be Bass Point; they followed 
the shore along to the northward, till they 
came to a spot where ''grates the keel up- 
on the yellow sand," when they beached 
the dory, and loaded with ice and snow 
waded a mile to their cottage with scarce- 



ly strength enough remaining to raise its 
door latch. 



LETTER II. 

Apple Island — the late Mr. Marsh — his romantic 
history — testriicti'm of his house by fire, S^'C. 

Nahant, September, 1845. 
On my passage to Nahant, in the steam, 
er General Lincoln, Capt. Betts, I passed 
•' Apple Island," a place somewhat cele- 
brated on account of a mysterious gentle- 
man, by the name of Marsh, havin^r lived 
there a great number of years. He brought 
up a large family on the island, was final- 
ly taken sick, and died aboat the year 
1834: I believe he was buried on the is- 
land. His hou-'e was burned two or three 
years afterwards. 

I do not remember that I ever passed 
Apple Island, in the Nahant steamer, but 
some one of the pa-^sengors had a curious 
story to tell about Mr. Marsh, and ih'i 
manner in which he obtained a permanent 
foothold on that inviting spot of earth. 
The rno-;t rational and authentic account 
of him I have ever listened to was related 
to me by an old friend, who is as familiar 
with every thing connected with the histo- 
ry of the islands in Boston harbor as yon 
are with your own paste-pot and scissors. 
The story runs thus : — 

Somewhere about the year 1813 — in the 
midst of our war with Great Britain — Mr. 
Marsh, the gentleman referred to, who 
was a native of England, mysteriously 
landed on the beach at an out-of-the-way 
place called G.^rmanto.vn, between Quin- 
cy and Weymouth. It is an excellent 
place to bathe, at high water : I have of- 
ten buffetted the •' saucy waves" there, 
anil it is said to be a favorite resort of J. Q. 
AdamS; for the purpose of bathing in the 
summer mouths. I would here remark 
that Germanlown is a part of the town of 
Quiucy. Mr. Marsh had with him two 
females, one of whom passed as his wife, 
and the other as her assi-tant. He ob- 



OR RANDOM SKETCHES. 



23 



tained possession of a small house on this 
shore where he lived for many months, 
without having the least intercourse with 
any family in the vicinity, or holding con- 
versation with any one whose curiosity 
might attract him to the spot. His life was 
spent in entire seclusion, and his compan- 
ions mixed as little with the world as 
he himself. It is true, he would some- 
times wander up to the village, to pur- 
chase a few groceries and other comforts 
of life; but he rarely made unnecessary 
conversation with any one — merely paying 
for such articles as he hail occasion to pur- 
chase, in gold or silver, of which, it was 
said, he had a considerable quantity with 
him. 

Several months having passed away, 
including those of a severe winter season, 
the residents of the houses in the neigh- 
borhood began to talk very openly against 
him, and to throw out frightful inuendoes. 
This was in true yankee character. If he 
was not the devil, he was certainly one of 
his imps I Finally, it was decided that Mr, 
Marsh and his companions must be driven 
away, by some means or another, from 
their quiet resting place. They were not 
considered precisely as ghosts, or hob- 
goblins ; but then there was a certain 
something about them which induced the 
timid people of Germantown and its vicin- 
ity to denounce them as unearthly beings, 
strongly imbued with the scent of brim- 
stone. They made known their desires 
and intentions to Mr. Marsh, and he, for 
self-preservation, consented to remove from 
Germantown, with his family, as soon as 
the necessary arrangements could be made. 
In a few days Mr. Marsh succeeded in 
purchasing a sail-boat, of about ten tons, 
with which he removed his family, and 
what little furniture and provisions they 
had, and, after paying his rent honorably, 
took leave of his persecutors with becom- 
ing meekness and dignity. It was high 
spring-time — 'about the first of May. There 
was a genial warmth in the sun, and a 
quietness oa the bosom of the sea, which 
were cheering and comforting to a man 



who had seen better days, and who had 
been thus rudely treated, by his fellow 
creatures, in a land of boasted freedom, 
intelligence and hospitality. 

He put off from the beach with his 
stanch boat, under a clear sky and with a 
free breeze, and shaped his course for the 
land on the opposite shore, in the direction 
of Chelsea, where he made a temporary 
landing, on what is called Hog Island. 
He spent a part of his time there, but most 
of it, the whole of the succeeding sum- 
mer and fall, in cruising about the islands 
in Boston harbor — occasionally landing to 
procure fresh provisions and water, but 
never making a long visit. He and his 
associates literally lived on the water for 
more than six months, almost always find- 
ingsafe anchorage as the night approached, 
and never meeting with the least accident. 
They were known as the " floating family." 
Hog Island, however, appeared to be the 
favorite resting place of Mr. Marsh at this 
time, whenever he landed any where with 
his family. His movements were noticed 
by the owner of that island, as well as by 
others, and he was finally ordered off, lest 
he might become a permanent squatter. 
He quietly submitted to the mandate of 
Mr. Breed, and sought a resting place 
elsewhere. 

Winter was now fast approaching. The 
cold north wind whistled cheerlessly 
through the rigging of his faithful little 
craft, and the waves of old Ocean showed 
their white and threatening foam, at all 
hours of the day and night. It w^s at a 
season like this, when every thing con- 
spired to dishearten Mr. Marsh and hia 
family, that he formed a plan of makiivga 
lodgment on Apple island for the winter. 
In the month of November, 1814, he 
safely removed his " little all" from his 
boat to that island, and took possession of 
a small uninhabited house, which, as I 
have been informed, had been built many 
years before by a family of catholics, 
who left it suddenly, during the revolu- 
tionary war, for " parts unknown." In 
this little habitation, Mr. Marsh and his 



24 



NOTES ON THE SEA-SIIORE 



companions found conafortable quarters for 
the winter. He had nearly provisions 
enough to last him until the opening of the 
spring, but such articles as he stood in 
need of he would procure from vessels 
passing up and down the harbor, always 
paying a generous price for every thing he 
purchased. Being an excellent shoi;, and 
having a trusty fowling piece, with plenty 
of ammunition, he rarely felt the want of 
game, — an abundance of which is always 
to be found in the vicinity of Apple island, 
from November to April, — while the sand 
and the sea yielded up their rich treasures 
to him, in any quantity his wants required. 
In this way he spent the winter very com- 
fortably. As the season of spring ap- 
proached, he began to feel confidence in 
the stability of his new position, and to 
cast about for some new employment — to 
see, as Robinson Crusoe's " Man Friday" 
often did, what he should do next. Hav- 
ing a taste for agricultural pursuits, he 
contrived to purchase several farming im- 
plements and some garden seeds ; and with 
these, and the kelp and rock-weed which 
he gathered in abundance upon the shore, 
he began his labors as a farmer and a phi- 
lanthropist. His exertions were crowned 
with success. In the language of St. 
Pierre, he ''made two blades of grass to 
grow where but one grew before ;" sum- 
mer smiled upon his laudable efforts, and 
autumn crowned them with an abundance 
of the fruits of the earth. All this time 
he continued unmolested in his new a- 
bode — he was sole monarch of the little 
spot of earth on which he worked so 
cheerfully, and so gratefully. Apple is- 
land was frequently visited by fishing par- 
ties during the summer, but no one treated 
him or his associates with rudeness or in- 
civility, while they, on the other hand, did 
every thing in their power, to make their 
visiters comfortable. Mr. Marsh himself 
is said to have been a perfect gentleman 
in his manners and in his feelings. 

As early as the period of which we are 
now speaking, there was a singular mys- 
tery hanging over Mr. Marsh and his fam- 



ily, in the minds of all who visited Apple 
island ; and the stories which were circu- 
lated in relation to them were numerous, 
and some of them of a character to amuse, 
if they did not astonish every one who 
liste ned to them. 

It was not long before Mr. Marsh had his 
island in a comfortable condition for the 
wants of his family. He built a small 
barn, and one or two other out-houses ; and 
among the new tenants which he intro- 
duced to his family circle were several of 
the swinish multitude, a cow, a number of 
hens, ducks, dogs, and cats : and, like a 
true philosopher, as he was, he made up 
his mind to spend the remainder of his 
days there, unless he was driven from the 
island, as he had been previously from 
Germantown, by the suspicious and un- 
cooth residents of that obscure place, and 
from Hog island, by Mr. Breed, its then 
new proprietor. 

No one molesting Mr. Marsh, his good 
lady soon began to make demonstrations 
that were highly gratifying to him, and to 
vie with the soil in producing something 
besides pumpkins — something that should 
comfort her faithful lord in his old age. 
The first of the little Marshes began to 
show his head about the time that pota- 
toes, corn, turnips, and cabbages were 
ripe ; and there was, naturally, much re- 
joicing " all about the lot." 

Time rolled on and Mr. Marsh continued 
to enjoy quiet possession of Apple island. 
He would visit Boston, occasionally, in the 
summer season, and make his appearance 
in State-street, interchanging the compli- 
ments of the season with some of our most 
respectable citizens. His dress and address 
always bespoke the gentleman ; and, to 
the day of his death, the mystery in rela- 
tion to him, which commenced with his 
first appearence among us, was continued. 
He was too much of a riddle for yankee 
cursioity to penetrate or solve. He 
brought up a large family of children — 
four sons, and as many daughters, if I 
mistake not, some of whom are married and 
reside in the city of Boston or its vicinity. 



APPENDIX. 



41 



ti.mate the value of your national union, to 
your collective and indivldnal happiness ; thatynn, 
should clierish n. cordial, hahitiud, and immovable 
attachment to it : accn^tomi mr yourselves to think 
and speak of it as of the palladium of your politi- 
cal safety and prosperity — wutclii n.g for its preser- 
at on with jealous anxiety , and discountenancing 
ivhatever may suggest even a suspicion that itcati 
in, any event be aban,do7ied ; and indignantly 
frowning upon the first datvning p/" every at- 
tempt TO ALIENATE ONE PORTION OF OUR COUN- 
TRY FROM THE REST, OR TO ENFEEBLE THE SA- 
CRED TIES WHICH NOW LOCK TOGETHER THE 
VARIOUS PARTS." 

In iwenly live-years from this time, my friends, 
our country will contain a population of tiiirty 
millions of souls, inhabiting, probably, a number 
of States one third greater than that now exist- 
ing. But how few of this large assemblage will 
be here at that time to witness their country's 
greatness I" 



B 

CAPTAIN JOSIAH STURGIS. 
We shall close our labors for the pres- 
ent, by making a few extracts from a little 
work published a few years since, entitled 
''Abrief sketch of the character and services 
of Capt. Josiah Sturgis, of the U. S. Rev- 
enue Service — by and an old friend and 
schoolmate.''^ As that work was written to 
amuse the author of it, in his hours of lei- 
sure, and has been two or three years out 
of print, these extracts, it is hoped, may 
be the more acceptable at this lime to 
readers generally. Capt. Sturgis and the 
writer were school-mates for several years, 
and were often called up together, — hand- 
in-hand they went; — to receive ?l gentle re- 
buke from their tutors, on mere suspicion 
of neglect of duty, or some trifling viola- 
tion of the wholesome rules adopted fby 
them : — j. l. h. 



And I have lored thee, Ocean I and my joy 
'Of youthful sports was on thy breast to be 

Borne, like thy bubbles, onward ;— from a boy 
I wantoned with thy breakers — they to me 
Were a delight; and if the freshening sea 

Made them a terror — 't was a pleasing fear ; 
For I was, as it were, a child of thee, 

And trusted to thy billows far and near, 
And laid my hand upon thy mane — as I do here. 

BYROIf. 

Captain Josiah Sturgis was born in the 
city of Boston. His father was a respectable 
mechanic, of the old school, and for many years 
kept a hat store in Ann-street, in the immediate 
vicinity of what is now known as Oak Hall. On 
this spot the subject of our notice first drew the 
breath of life ; and we mention this fact, because it 
is often pleasant to allude to the birth-place of men 



who ' have done the state some service.' Thi.s 
laudable feeling has prevailed in all ages and 
among all nations. 

In liii childhood, there was nothing remarkable 
to distinguish young Sturgis from other boys — 
at least, we remember nothing. But as lie pro- 
gressed in years his character developed some 
traits which those who watched over ami associ- 
ated with him considered sulRciently striking to 
speak of and to remember. Like many others 
who have been distinguished in the various 
walks of life he received the early part of his 
education in the public schools of Boston, than 
which none are better — if so good — in any other 
part of the United States. Having remained at 
school until he was fourteen years of age, he ex- 
pressed a desire to ship as a cabin boy in a mer- 
chant vessel, and to follow the seas — a desire 
which was soon gratified by his father, who had 
early discovered in his son an ambition for a ' life 
on the ocean wave.' 

In 1S09 young Sturgis sailed from Boston, in, 
the capacity of a cabin boy, in the schooner Mary, 
Capt. Percival, for the Gape de Verd Islands, 
with a cargo valued at 1-5,000 or 20,000 dollars— 
the vessel and cargo, part specie, belonging whol- 
ly to the captain ; and his first voyage was at- 
tended with difficulties and disasters well calcu- 
lated to dishearten almost any youngster, and 
give him a strong and unalterable dislike for the 
seas. The Mary on her passage from the Cape 
de Verds to Fayal, when off the Western Isl- 
ands, was chased by the British frigate Cleopatra 
and the Atalanta sloop of war, and at midnight wil- 
fully run into by the latter vessel. She sunk al- 
most immediately, leaving her crew only time to 
escape a watery grave, without hardly a rag to 
cover their nakedness. Young Slurgis was ta- 
ken on board the Atalanta, and some weeks af- 
terwards landed at Bermuda; thence, after much 
suffering, he found his way home in a destitute 
condition. Thus ended his first lesson at sea. 
Although a mere boy at the time, he published 
an account of the outrage, and of his sufferings, 
in the ' Independent Chronicle,' on his return to 
Boston. It reads very well, as a composition, 
while, at the same time, it is replete with what, 
in good old revolutionary times, was called 
' Yankee spunk.'' 

Nothing daunted, however, by the disaster he 
had encontered, young Sturgis soon shipped for 
a second voage, to China, in the ship Levant, be- 
longing to the highly respectable and opulent 
house of James fc Thomas H. Perkins. In this 
ship he made many long voyages, to the Nortii 
West Coast and Canton : and after ' sticking' to 
the Levant for a period of ten or twelve years, 
he found himself in command of her in the port 
of Canton. Thus did he progress, from one 
stage to another — from the youthful drudge of 
the cabin — until he was promoted to the com- 
mand of one of the finest ships then sailing out 
of Boston — a ship that made more money for her 
owners, in her time, it is believed, than any other 
merchant vessel that ever floated. This fact may 
furnish a useful lesson to all young men who are 
about entering upon the sea-faring profession. 
Frequent changes in a sea faring life, from one 
vessel to another, and from the employment of one 
merchant to that of another, are almost always 
detrimental to the prospects of those who make 
them. 

Having served a long and honorable career in 
the merchant service, and finding his health 



42 



APPENDIX. 



somewhat impaired, Capt. Sturgis retired for a 
wliile from active dtity, wi'h ilie respect and eoii- 
lidence ot' liis old employers, w liich, we are haiipy 
to say. lie retains to this day. In l>2"i-3, Capi. 
Siurgis was an olficer on board tUe U. 3 sUip of 
the line Franklin, Com. Stewart, in the Pacific 
Ocoan. Wuh the veteran Stewart be was al- 
ways on the most friendly terms. 

Subsequently, when Lieut. Pinkham, of Xan- 
tnckei, relinquished the command of Admiral 
Coliin's beautiful brig Clio — a vessel fined out 
by that liberal, jinblic spirited British naval com- 
mander — Capt. Slurgis was ajipointed as his suc- 
cessor, and remained in that station so long as 
the old Admiral continued to own that vessel, 
when lie again became a sojourner on the 
land. It wilfbe remembered that Admiral ColKn 
was a native of Manlucket, and always evinced 
the warmest attachment to the soil of his nativity 
— the most ardent interest in the welfare of the 
good people of that beautiful • gem of the Ocean,' j 
who have enjoyed many substantial tokens of his 
liberality and friendship. 

Not entirely losing his taste for the deck of a 
vessel, Capt Sturgis, in lsi'2, through the exer- 
tions and ilattering testimonials of a number of 
his friends, was appointed a lirst Lieutenant in 
the revenue service. When Xulliiication was at 
its hiarhest point in South Carolina, he was or- 
dered to Charleston, that being his tirsl duty as a 
revenue oilicer. The diificulties in that quarter 
ha vi'.ig been happily settled, without bloodsiied. 
he was ordered to New- Bedford, on which sta- 
tion he remained about live year*, most of the 
time in command of the cutter M'Lane. From 
New- Bedford he was transferred to the cutter 
Hamilton, and in a short time al'terward he \\-;is 
appointed a full captain in the revenue service. 
The valuable duties he pretoniied on the New- 
Bedford station gained lor him a very extensive 
popularity among all classes in that vicinity, es- 
pecially those concerned in commerce and navi- 
g-ation; and, perhaps, it would not be going too 
far to say, that every m.m, woman and child, in 
and about NewBedlbrd — and every other living 
creature — is concerned, directly or indirectly, in 
navigation On leaving that enterprising place 
for Boston, in May I's'Jn, Capt. Sturgis received 
many flattering compliments : and among other 
testimonials of respect, a large number of the 
most wealthy and estimable residents addressed 
him a highly complimentary letter. 

On leaving the New-Bedtord station, every 
paper in that vicinity took especial paias to com- 
pliment Capt. Sturgis, for the untiring zeal and 
the successful exertions he had evinced while in 
command of the cutter M'Lane, which was, 
in his hands, the first armed United States ves- 
sel that ever passed over Nantucket Bar. 

But it is due to the subject ol our remarks, to 
introduce the reader to the cutter Hamilton in 
and about Boston Bay, where, lor several years 
past, Capt. Sturgis has had an extensive field I'or 
the exercise of his talents, in relieving the dis- 
tresses of his fellow men. and rescuing the prop- 
erty of our merchants and ship owners from im- 
pendins: danger and destruction. 

One of the most gratifying events in the ca- 
reer of Capt. Sturgis, must have been that which 
occurred in Boston hirbor a few vears since, 
when, it will be i-ecoUected, he saved the lives of 
seven boys, the youngest of whom was less 
than thirteen years' of age. They were in a sail- 
boat, and Capt. 3. picked then up in his life-boat 
during a v-iolent squall. For this noble act the 



American Life-boat Company of Xevv-York 
presented the captain with a yawl or gig of ex- 
quisite workmanship, built by Mr. Joseph Krau- 
cis, formerly ot Boston. Tuis yawl was exliibiteJ 
in State-street at the time, and much admired 
for its beauty. But who can estimate the amount 
of human life that has been saved by the walch- 
fuhiess, enterprise and fearlessness of the noble- 
hearted captain 1 Let the newspapers of Boston 
for the last rive years tell the story. 

In the summer of 1^4■2, Captain Sturgis paid a 
visit to the city of Washington, where he stop- 
ped ten days or a fortnight, lie there found Lord 
Ashbuiton. the partner of Mr. Bates, hisbrouur- 
in-law, who gave him a warm reception. We 
remember to have seen him there at the time ; 
and know that he received the most tiatiering 
attentions from men in high places, including the 
President of the United States. 

We remember Captain Sturgis as a pupil at 
one of the free schools of Boston — in School- 
street — when we -stood shoulder to shoulder' 
with him — not as Massacluisetts and Virjinia 
stood in the days of the revolution, for the attain- 
ment of patriotic and glorious and justifiable ends 
— but for the purpose of innocently plotting mis- 
chief with some two or three hundred other wild 
urchins, and catching such limited ideas in the 
su!ilime mysteries of grammar, reading, writing 
and arithmetic, as our public schools then enabled 
the boys of the city to receive. Sturgis was al- 
ways a ' shining mark' among his lellows. While 
he held a respectable rank as a scholar, he was 
ever quite as full of liin and frolic as any of his 
associates. His teachers — the late Mr. Haskell, 
and the venerable iNIr. Snelling, who now en- 
joys a • green old age," respected and beloved by 
thousands of his fellow citizens, who. in the days 
of their youth, received instruction in writing and 
cyphering, at his hands — very rarely permitted a 
day to pass, from one end of the year to the 
other, without ' calling him up,' for the purpose 
of tickling his feet, his hands, or some other deli- 
cate part of his extremities, with the ingenious 
but simple and useful instruments which are so 
skilluUy used by that valuable class of the com- 
munity whose duty it is to improve the tops while 
they regulate the tottoms of the rising genera- 
lion. How many times we have seen him re- 
ceive his deserts without flinching! Yes, we 
have seen him even smile, while difierent ,parts 
of his body were smarting under the mrtueace 
of a birch rod or a walnut clapper. And yet he 
was not vicious — he was merely carrying out 
what, some thirty-five years ago, in the public 
schools of Boston, was considered popular con- 
duct among a large portion of the pupils. Al- 
though a few years vounger than Sturgis onr- 
self we have ' tmi)it;} in the same company with 
him,' many a day and many a year: and we nev- 
er lacked recruits, in anv reasonable number. 
We merely allude to the school-boy days oi' our 
old friend, to show that he was grit then, as he 
ever has been since — tivm the first hour that he 
trod the dock of a merchant ship to the present 
day. We should add, perhaps, that young Stur- 
gis \\'as for some time a pupil in the private es- 
tablishment of Master Payne, in Federal-street, 
to whom he ^^•as indebted for a few ' finishing 
touches' before he took to the sea. The knowl- 
edge of the Greek and Latin languages which 
he acquired in that ai-ndemy was just enough to 
be of no use to him in his subsequent inter- 
course witJi foreign nations. 

One word more in this connection. We think 



APPENDIX. 



43 



ii would be ditficuU to find, in the whole scope of 
the uaviiraliou of tliis or any oilier country, a 
comniiinderot" any vi-ssel. pnMio or private, \v!io 
has lukea so doep an. I Iriendly an inierest in the 
welfare and prosperity of liis crew as Ikh Capt. 
Siurt,Ms We say so deep an interest. He has 
not only been instrumental, throiig-h the liberality 
of a number ot mereluinls, in funiisliiui: the cut- 
ter Hamilton with a well selected library, which 
is used in common by the • wliole ship's compa- 
ny," but it is well known to many persons in this 
community that he instructs iiis crew in readina; 
and writing:, personally, and that he pays out of 
his own private purse for all the books, papers, 
pens, ink, >.\:c used in carrying- out the system of 
instruction which he has adopted as a part of the 
discipline on board hi.<« rakish little craft He 
himself learns his crew to read and write, when 
any of Ihem are delicient in these brauche-s of an 
English education ; ho sees, also, that they im- 
prove themselves in writing letters, and turnishes 
them with every little convenience to carry out 
his plans. And all this, of course, is done at lei- 
sure intervals, when the crew might be looking 
over the talfiiiil, or quietly sucking their thumbs. 
in the firecasile. On Sundays, he either has re- 
ligious services on board the cutter, or permits 
the greater portion of his crew to attend the 
Bethel churches, to the establishment of which 
he has himself contrilmied according to his 
means. Capt. Sturgis being a man of temperate 
habits, seldom using ardent spirits, exacts Irom 
the diderent members of his crew the most rigid 
discipline in this res]iecl ; and, it is believed, that 
nowhere can be found, a more cheerful, hardy, 
and exemplary set of young sailors, than those 
connected with the cutter Hamilton. As the 
captain uses tobacco moderately him>elf, both as 
a sm >ker and a chcwer, he permits his crew to 
sport with tlie • liltliy v.-eed' also. So I'ar as con- 
sistency is concerned, this is all well enough ; but 
for own part, we should like to see a Waterhonse 
rise up from the ocean and harpoon ev'ery son ot 
Adam that chews tobacco I 

We hardly think it necessary to speak of Capt. 
Siurgis's oritorical powers, as he pretends to no- 
thing in that way. It is true, he is ' nii orator as 
Brutus is. but speaks right on ' We have seen 
him, however, in situations where we thought he 
appeared to favorable advantage as a speaker. 

Capt. Slurgis"s relatives, as is well known, are 
all highly respectable. His father, we remember. 
■was universally esteemed by his fellow citizens. 
One of his sisters was married to Joshua Bates, 
E.sq. of the house of Baring A: Brothers, of Lon- 
don, a gentleman who was (ormerly connected in 
business wit!) the late William Gray, Esq. of 
Boston Mr. Bates's eldest daughter is the wife 
of the Belgian Minister at the Court of St 
James. The Capt. himself is a bachelor — a very 
gallant gentleman, and. of course, a great favor- 
ite among the ladies. Is it not a pity that such a 
noble hearted, considerate, enterprising young 
fellow, should be sulfered to live on from year to 
year 'in single blessedness,' when there are so 
many of the other se.x who admire the appear- 
ance of a good lookimg oflicer ^vilh two epau- 
lettes ? Or is the captain always to he wedded to 
the cutter Hamilton ? No, no — we hope for bet- 
ter things (t is said that he has had several ad 
vantagcous olfers, but, cherishincr the idea .so 
common anions: bachelors that it is not prudent 
for a man to marry until after he has attained his 
fortieth year, he refused to give them that serious 
consideration they so richly merited. 



When the Hamilton visited Yarmouth, Cape 
Cod. a t'liw years since— and she was said to be 
the llrst American war vessel that ever visited 
that port — Captain Stiiruis invited all the ladies 
of the place to take a loak at his vessel, and fur- 
nished them with boats ("or the occasion If we 
mistake not, he has done the same gentlemanly 
thing in other places — and he always honors his 
guests with a federal sabite. If there is one thing 
which the captain likes, more than another, it 
is, we believe, to have the honor of tiring a sa- 
lute in his official capacity, and in the presence of 
ladies — his band, all the while, playing Hail, Col- 
umbia, hajipv land I 

The captain has his eccentricities, his peculi- 
arities, — and so has almost every other man of note 
in this country; but let hi* character be examined 
as a whole, dispassionately and candidly, and 
weighed in a true scale — take him from his cra- 
dle to the present time ; and every intelligent 
reader will say, that .(osi..vu Srt'RGis is a much 
greater man than he had before considered him. 

And thus ends our story about the life and 
character of our worthy and esteemed friend ; 
our old playniite and school-f'ellow — Josjah 
Stukgis. 



A RIDE TO PLYMOUTEI. 

Pltpnottth — thi'. on Colony Rail Road — Ihe 
Neto Hotel — Curiosities in Pilgrim Hall. 

"When this letter was written, (see book 1, 
pa^e 42,) the hotel at Plyinouth, and the Old 
Colony llail-road, were in an unfinished state. 
Since that time both have been completed, and 
arc now in successful operation. Some time 
since, by invitation of one of the directors, we 
took a ride over the road, as fur as Plymouth. 
After spendin-y several hours very ai^reeahly, 
and, as wc trust, profitably, we returned to Bos- 
ton the same day. The excursion is one which 
we can most cheerfully recommend to every 
stranger who visits Boston, and every Bostoni- 
an who lias a day of leisure on his Ixands which 
he would pass to a good account. 

The distance from Boston to Plymouth is 
thirty-seven miles. The rail-road runs through, 
and passengers are left and taken in at Dorches- 
ter, Neponset, Quincy, N. Braintree, S. Brain- 
tree, S. Weymouth, North Abington, Abing- 
ton. South Abington. Hanson, Halifax, Plymp- 
ton, Kingston, and Plyinouth — a most thrifty 
and delightful region of country. It nsually 
takes about two hours and a half to pass from 
Boston to Plymotith. The ilepot of this road, 
at the Boston terminus, is directly opposite the 
United States Hotel, kept by llolman & 
Clark, who, it is acknowledsred on all liands, 
hold a high rank in the highlv rcs])cctable and 
powerful corps of hotel keepers in New Eng- 
land; the same may be said of Jlr. Tucker, of 
the Tremon't Hojise. The cars pass within 
two or three miles of the country seat of the 
Hon. T>. Webster. The day we visited Ply- 
mouth there were about fifty ladies and gentle- 
men there, principally from Cambridge, Dor- 



44 



APPENDIX. 



Chester, Braintree, Weymouth, and Boston. At i 
the hotel, we noticed many venerable men, such | 
as Hon. T. H. Perkins, Hon. H. G. Otis, I. P.J 
Davis, Es<|. and others, who spoke in terms of, 
unciualilied praise of every thins; they had seen, 
and expressed a hope that others might be in- 
duced to visit a place so replete with interesting 
recollections. To see such octogenarians as 
Perkins and Otis, the last connecting-links of 
two generations, enjoying themselves near Ply- 
mouth rock, on the same day, was a rich treat of 
itself. We shall not soon forget it. 

The new hotel, (the •' Samoset HorsE") is 
an elegant and commodious building, pleasant- 
ly situated near the Sea shore. It affords a 
commanding view of the Ocean, and is, in ev- 
ery respect, a well appointed establishment. It 
is" four stories high, is built of wood, and has 
ample accommodations for about one hundred 
boarders — with good stables, bowling-alleys, 
and other out-buildings, carriages, boats, a bath- 
ing-house, and every otlier convenience that 
can conduce to the comfort and health of visit- 
ors. It is kept in excellent style, by 'Sir. Joseph 
Stetsox, wlio furnishes a table '' tit for the 
gods." He is sure to have every luxury that 
the season, and the Boston market, afford ; and 
his dishes, especially his chowders and fried 
fish, are served up in remarkably fine taste. 
The furniture and carpets of the house are all 
new, and the beds and bedding have a most in- 
viting appearance. It is altogether a first rate 
hotel, and is kept in a style to correspond with 
the elegance of its interior arrangements. That 
its success will be perfect we have no doubt, es- 
pecially as Mr. Stetson is quite moderate in his 
charges. We learn that the hotel and furniture 
cost $50,000. It was opened with ranch cere- 
mony, on the 22d December, 1845 — the anni- 
versary of the landing of the Pilgrims. The 
cars leave Boston at eight o'clock in the morn- 
ing, and return at six, giving visiters five hours' 
time to examine the interesting relics of anti- 
quity, and other objects, at Plymouth. Some 
of tiiese we shall specify particularly for the in- 
formation of our readers. AVithin a short dis- 
tance of the hotel there is excellent fishing, for 
cod, haddock, perch, tautaug, mackerel, &c. 

PiLGRiJi Hall, which engages the first at- 
tention of all who visit Plymouth, is situated 
a few rods only from the hotel. It was built in 
1820, and is a simple structure, with nothing in 
its appearance to recommend it to the attention 
of any one. In front of this building is a part 
of the rock on which the Pilgrims landeil, with 
their names recorded on a circular enclosure. 
As you enter the hall, the most prominent thing 
which strikes the eye, is the large painting of 
the Landing of the Pihp-ims, the principal figures 
in which are Gov. Carver, wife and child ; Gov. 
Bradford ; Gov. Winslow and wife ; Elder Wil- 
liam Brewster; Capt. Miles Standish and wife; 
William White, and his child Peregrine ; Ste- 
phen Hopkins, wife and children ; Isaac Allerton 
and wife : Jolm Aldcn, John Turner, Richard 
Warren, Edward Tilly, Samuel Fuller, and 
Samoset, an Indian sagamore. The figures 
ftre good, the faces admirably drawn, and prop- 



er attention appears to have been paid to the 

costumes, the hair, and especially the grouping 
of the different characters in tbis very clever 
production of the pencil of the late Col. Sar- 
gent. The hall having been often used as a 
ball-room, there is a chandelier hanging from 
the centre of it — and, at the west end of it, there 
is a suitable apartment for an orchestra. 

In looking round the hall we find many por- 
traits — of Carver, Winslow, Eoblnson, Brews- 
ter, Bradford, and Standish ; of Hon. John 
Trumbull; Dea. E])hraim Sjwoncr; Dr. James 
Thacher ; John A'den ; Gov. Edward Winslow ; 
Gov. Josiah Winslow's wife, Penelope Pelham; 
Gov. Josiah Winslow, born at Marshfield, 1629 ; 
Gen. John Winslow, born at the same place in 
1701. The four latter are copies, by modern 
artists. We saw nothing of the late Alden 
Bradford's jjortrait on the walls, and felt sorry 
that he had been neglected, for, if any man ev- 
er possessed a pure antiquarian taste, a devo- 
ted love for, and a remembrance of, the com- 
manding virtues of the early settlers of New 
England, it was this gentleman. 

Among the curiosities in Pilgrim Hall may 
be mentioned the following : — The original 
Charter of the Plymouth Colony, 1629, in the 
box in which it came over to this country. 
Specimens of shells, minerals, Indian war im- 
plements, and other relics of antiquity. The 
commission of Oliver Cromwell to Gov. Edward 
Winslow, dated April 19, 1654. Two chairs, 
belonging to Gov. Bradford and Gov. Carver. 
Two pewter dishes and an iron pot belonging to 
Miles Standish. A pocket-book brought over 
in the Mayflower. A parcel of continental 
money. Iron relics, from the ruins of Miles 
Standish's house at Duxbury. King Philip's 
cap. A piece of the house in which Columbus 
was born, and a piece of the coffin of George 
Washington, in a small iron snuff"-box, presen- 
ted by Aldcn Bradford. The sword of Capt. 
Miles Standish. A piece of Gov. Bradford's 
coffin. A vase, brought over in the Mayflower. 
A pair of brass steelyards, brought over in the 
Ann, in 1023. The cabinet belonging to Pere- 
grine White, and an ivoiy headed cane, which 
originally belonged to his father. A large junk 
bottle, made by direction of the Old Colony 
Club, in 1769, presented by Isaac P. Davis — 
supposed to have been filled with " good stuff'" 
some time during the last century. In the li- 
brary room, there is a small but choice collec- 
tion of books ; and two well-executed busts, of 
John Adams and Daniel Webster, occupy con- 
spicuous places. 

The original records of the Colony, in a 
state of excellent preservation, are to be found 
in a room at the Court House, a short distance 
from Pilgrim Hall. They are well worth look- 
ing at, as is the ancient burial ground, back of 
the Court House. The new cemetery is, also, 
an object deserving of attention : something of 
the kind was much wanted at Plymouth. 

In one of the rooms in Pilgrim Hall, is a 
beautiful specimen of embroidery, preserved in 
the branch of the Standish family which settled 



APPENDIX. 



45 



in Bridgewater. Also, an extract from the will 
of Miles Stamlish, wJiieh runs thus; : 

" My will is tliat out of my whole estate my 
funeral charges to he taken out, and my body 
to he buried in a decent manner, and if 1 die in 
Duxborrow (Duxlmry) my body to be layd as 
near as conveniently may he to my two danglr- 
ters, Lora Standish, my danglUer, and Mary 
Standish, my daughter in law. 

March 7, 1G35. By me, 

Mylks Staxdisii." 

Thus much for Plymouth, and its delightful, 
interestingassociations. vVtlialf past six o'clock 
in the evening, we found our party comforta- 
bly seated at the tea table, in Boston, having 
enjoyed one of the most agreeable excursions 
within our recollection. It atibrded a combina- 
tion of enjoyment, in wliich tiie intellect, as 
well as the appetite and the body, participated 
lariiely. 

AVe commend a trip to Ply mouth, over the 
rail-road, as one deserving the attention of 
strangers who may visit Boston, as well as to 
all others, in the city and its neighborhood, 
who can leave their business for a single day, to 
visit the consecrated spot of which we s])eak, and 
whiih will ever live in the memory and affections 
not only of all who arc now in active life, but 
in those of their latest posterity. 

(Note — August, 1848.) Our account of 
Plymouth was written two years ago; but 
since that time nothing remarkable has oc- 
curred to induce us to change its character. 
That ancient town will always be an ob- 
ject of primary interest to intelligent trav- 
ellers, and the facilities for visiting it are 
within the reach of every one. The hotel 
has changed hands since we were last there 
— Mr. Stetson has left it, and it is now kept 
in e.\cellent style by Messrs. J. S. Parker 
and H. S. Tribou, gentlemen who richly 
merit, as a friend informs us, the compli- 
ment we have bestowed upon their prede- 
cessor. 



AN EDITORIAL DINNER AT CAPE 
ANN, TEN YEARS AGO. 
E.'clract from a letter written by an old friend. 
I cannot close this letter without telling 
you a capital story, all about a "swell din- 
ner," which came off at the Gloucester 
House several years ago. A new landlord 
had jnst commenced operations there, and 
being anxious to get his establishment into 



notice, he procureil a friend in Boston to 
invite a dozen gentlemen connected with 
the press, and others, to name a day when 
his house should be open to receive them. 
I The day was named, and invitations were 
I given out accordingly. Two distinguished 
j singers were also invited, by the gentleman 
j who was appointed master of ceremonies 
j on this celebrated, never-to-be-forgotlen 
occasion. A stage-coach was engaged, 
the guests were notified to meet at Doo- 
little's at a certain time, and — whisk ! — 
the party were off; all except three or four, 
[ who preferred to ritle in their own gigs. 
j Arriving at Gloucester about 12 o'clock, 
they found the landlord iu waiting, and an 
excellent collation prepared for his hungry 
I guests. The merits of this were soon dis- 
cussed, secundem aitem. The next thing 
was to take a sail, to see the harbor, and 
to catch some fish for dinner. A boat was 
soon in readiness, with the customary 
small stores, cigars, bait, &c. and the parly 
embarked for the fishing ground. Three 
hours were spent agreeably, in this way — 
at the expense, as was generally supposed, 
of the generous host. Four o'clock found 
them in full blast at the diimer table : the 
conversation w^as animated — no public es- 
tablishment was ever thrown open under 
such favorable auspices I The chowder, 
fried fish and clams, stewed tautaug, and 
the roasted meats and birds, were of the 
first order, and went off well. The cham- 
pagne, and the old sherry and Madeira, 
were also thrown into a state of quick 
evaporation. Mr. Dempster and the late 
Mr. Richardson never sang better. In fact 
it was a perfect jubilee — an occasion of 
high and singular ecstasy. Things went 
on thus swimmingly for two or three hours, 
when some of the party began to think of 
leaving for home : but, as no one seemed 
disposed to call for the bill, and the master 
of ceremonies was the first to go, (he 
had already gone !) all considered it a treat 
of the landlorti, to a portion of the editorial 
corps, to have his house favorably noticed. 
Not so he, however, nor his excellent lady, 
I who could not bear to see the property of 



46 



APPENDIX. 



others wasted in this way. The latter 
called her husband out, and uave him a 
gentle scolding. " Who pays for the last 
champagne sent in "?" she inquired, wivh a 
voice so masculine that she was overheard 
by the guests, who now, for the first time, 
began to smell brimstone. The landlord, 
who had resumed his seat at the head of 
the table, looked sad — his countenance, 
naturally a round one, had been lengthen- 
ed several inches by the kitchen-lecture 
he had so suddenly received from his wife. 
Every one could see that there was some- 
thing wrong, some misunderstanding about 
the business, and time began to pass hea- 
vily. The guests became quite taciturn 
and restless, and the landlord equally so, 
Every time a bottle of wine was called in, 
it appeared as if a bullet had passed sud- 
denly through his kidnies. Finally, to make 
a long story short, when it was understood 
that his wife had taken the keys of the 
wine-closet, there was a tremendous rat- 
tling among the empty glasses, the com- 
pany rose simultaneously, a parley ensued, 
explanations took place on both sides, the 
leak was discovered, and a laugh (the 
wrong side of the mouth) was the conse- 
quence. Every difficulty having been set- 
tled, the guests returned home by the same 
conveyance which took them to Cape Ann, 
fully satisfied that they had enjoyed a most 
generous opening on the sea-shore. It cost 
the party about eight dollars each, to say 
nothing of lost time, wear and tear of con- 
science and of health, and the compliments 
they showered upon the keeper of the ho- 
tel for the liberal provision he had made 
for them. It was a Yorkshire bite from its 
incipiency to the end ; and even the vic- 
tims themselves considered it "one of the 
best jokes of the season." At any rate, 
some of them made it answer for a year. 

There is one little moral attached to this 
simple story, which it would be well to 
hint at for the benefit of others. The 
hotel did not flourish that year ! The 
cause may be more easily imagined than 
described. A bad beginning generally 
terminates unfavorably. 



CASTLE ISLAND— DUELS IN BOS- 
TON HARBOR, &c. 

In one of the preceding letters we have 
spoken of Castle Island. We have a br ef 
story to tell about that place, in connection 
with some others. 

We remember that, on our first visit to 
Washington, in 1830, we felt much curios- 
ity, as we passed through Bladensburg, on 
the old mail route, to see the famous duel- 
ing ground, as did all our travelling com- 
panions. Having arrived opposite to it, 
the stage was stopped — there was no rail- 
road then — and the passengers alighted. 
We saw nothing, however, but a piece of 
common ground, possessing no remarkable 
features. But a thousand recollections and 
associations, of a very painful character, 
were awakened, for there had been many 
murders committed there, and many un- 
successful attempts at murder made, since 
the commencement of the present century, 
by " honorable men," a majority of whom 
were members of conuress. So, again, as 
we well remember^ that when we first made 
a trip up the Hudson river, we expressed an 
anxious desire to have the captain of the 
steamboat point out to us the spot where 
the illustrious Hamilton fell, by the hands 
of Aaron Burr. This is a very natural cu- 
riosity, and must be indulged. Boston 
harbor has her duelling grounds, as well 
as Bladensburg and Hoboken. We will 
briefly explain. 

It is now over forty years since a duel 
took place on the beach in South Boston, 
nearly opposite Castle Island, between Mr. 
Miller and Mr. Rand, of Boston, gentlemen 
intimately acquainted with each other. The 
latter fell at the first fire. Mr. Miller died 
in New- York, a few years since, of apo- 
plexy, leaving a large property to his bro- 
ther, in this city. 

There was another duel, at the same 
place, some time afterwards, between Mr. 
Blake and Mr. Dix, merchants, of Boston, 
in which the latter was killed. 

Some twenty-five years ago, on Castle 



APPENDIX. 47 



Island, two lieutenants, while playing cards of beef-steak and coffee. The correspon- 
and drinking wine, in their mess room, had dence, which we believe was never pub- 
a vulf^ar brawl. The lie passed fr im one lished, would show that he did all an "offi- 
to the other, and a challenge was the con- cer and a gentleman" could do to avert a 
sequence. The next day, a duel was duel. 

fought between the parties outside the- We believe that no other duels of con- 
walls of the fort, on the ground which sequence have taken place in Boston har- 
faces the city. One of them fell, and his bor than those we have mentioned. A 
body was quietly interred, without pomp few years since, however, two were fought 
or ceremony, near the spot where he fell, in Rhode-Island, in which Bostonians had 
A small white marble monument was sub- some concern. 

sequently erected by some of his brother Duels are becoming less frequent in the 
officers, to show to posterity that such a man North every year ; and in the South, they 
once lived, and that he died a very foolish are yielding to assassinations in high life — 
death. All who pass that way in the to the bowie-knife, the dirk, and other fas- 
steamer Mayflower, to Hingham, can see cinating instruments of death. 
this monument — Capt. Beal will point it 
out to them ; and, if their curiosity should 
prompt them still farther, let them land 

and read the inscription on it-if there is SOxME OF THE YACHTS BELONG- 
one to be found. As Falstaff says, "//tere'.y ING TO BOSTON, 

honor for you !"' — the effects of gambling There is probably noplace in the United 
and drinking. States where there are so many beautiful 

It is possible that other duels have taken and swift-sailing yachts owned as there 
place in Boston harbor, which have es- are in Boston. Col. Winchester's brilliant 
caped our recollection. One certainly, we Northern Light takes the lead of all of 
remember very distinctly. This occurred them. Then comes the dashing Coquette, 
in September, 1819, on the beach at Wil- Capt. Perkins, which beat the famous boat 
liams's island, (now East Boston) between Maria, at New- York, $500 a side. It is 
Lieut. Finch, of the U. S. ship Indepen- said the Boston pilots have recently bought 
dence, and Lieut. White, of the Marine this fine boat. Of the countless fleet at 
Corps — at the time attached to the Charles- Long-wharf may be mentioned the Grace 
town station — both excellent shots. The Darling, Capt. Berry, of 56 tons — she won 
latter was the challenger. the first prize, a silver pitcher, at Spectacle 

This duel grew out of a difficulty, of island, week before last ; the Cygnet, John 
long standing, which had its origin in the E. Thayer, of 31 tons — she took the first 
Mediterranean. The parties proceeded to prize, at Phillips's Beach, three weeks 
the beach, accompanied by their respec- ago; the Flirt, Manning, commodore of the 
tive friends and surgeons, a little before fleet — he and Thayer are two of the oldest 
sunrise; and, at the first fire, Lieut. White boatmen in our harbor ; the Brenda, Col- 
fell, mortally wounded. He lived but a lamore, of 33 tons — took the second prize 
few minutes. His body was taken to the at Phillips's Beach; the Gazelle, at South 
Charlestown navy yard, and thence to his Boston, and many others. There are five 
parents in Newburyport. Lieut. Finch, splendid pilot-boats, viz. : the Hornet, An- 
(afterwards Capt. Bolton) returned to the onyma, Friend, Sylph, and Phantom, all 
Independence, and ate a hearty breakfast of which sail like the wind. 



48 



APPENPIX. 



THE GREAT FANCY BALL, AT 
NEWPORT, R. L 

The great Fancy Ball at Newport, about 
which there has been so much talk in our 
fashionable circles, carae off on Wednes- 
day evening of last week, August 30. The 
industrious young fellows who conduct the 
Boston Bee have given a full account of it, 
from which we have extracted the names 
of such individuals as belong to this city 
and its vicinity. The affair appears to have 
been one of great interest and brilliancy. 

Ladies. — Mrs. James Parker, Marchioness 
of the time of Louis XVI., splendid dress. Mrs. 
G. M. Tlialcher, Night, very becommg dress. 
Countess d'Hauteville, rich ball-room dress. Miss 
Sears, costume of a bride — very elegant dress. 
Miss Prescott, ball-room dress — pink trimmed 
with lace. Miss Elizabeth Fearing, in the char- 
acter of Madonna — very pretty, and worn with 
much grace. Miss Jennie Colburn, as Gulnare, 
a beautiful Greek costume, and most caplivating- 
ly sustained. Miss Susan Foster, Maid of Ath- 
ens. Miss Anne Coolidge, Court Dress of the 
XlVlh century; a very superb costume. Miss 
Ellen Coolidge, in a rich Greek costume, which 
made the wearer look more lovely than ever. Mrs 
B. S. Roach, Spanish costume, very complete. 
Miss K. B. Lawrence, Fancy Ball-room Dress. 
Miss Sarah Parker, Gipsey. Mrs. Samuel Hoop- 
er, Chinese costume. Mrs. F. G. Shaw, Greek 
costume. Mrs. Moses Kimball, French Flower 
Girl, very pretty dress Mrs. J. L. Edmands, 
Bride, very beautiful dress. Mrs. S. S. Lewis, 
ball room dress. Miss Ann Lewis, ball room 
dress. Miss Josephine Lewis, Flower girl, 
di ess neatly arranged. Mrs. Shaw, (late Miss 
Com Lyman) in a peasant's costume. Miss 
Kuth B. Foster, ball room dress. Miss Phebe 
Wildes, ball room dress. Miss Kate Wildes, as 
a bride. Miss Catharine A Robinson, Sister of 
Chanty, character admirably sustained. Mrs. 
Charles F. Hendee, Sister of Charity, ditto. 
Miss Shaw, ball room dress, very elegant. Mrs. 
Edward Perkins, ditto Miss Ellen Parker, Gip- 
sey, a very becoming costume. Mrs. Slade. rich 
ball dress ; blue satin with silver trimmings. 
Miss Eliza Winchester, as a Bohemian Girl. 
Miss Emily Winchester, as Cinderella, a very 
splendid costume ; white satin with silver trhn- 
mings. Mrs. Gage, ball room dress ; pink satin 
lace trimmings. Mrs. Dorr, Belgian costume 
Miss Derby, ball room dress ; pink satin. Miss. 
Roach, New Bedford, as a Gipsey ; a bewitching 
character. Miss Hannah Durfee, Fall River, 
plain black dress, verv becoming. 

Gentlemen. — Mr. Bowdoin, Oliver Cromwell, 
in full dress, a very fine character. Edmund 
Otis. Barber of Seville, character well sustained. 
Mr. Dixon, Egyptian costume, very complete. 
Mr. Gray, court dress of Louis Phillippe. Mr. 
F. G Shaw, Greek costume, very handsome 
dress. James G. Farwell, Jr., as a gentleman of 
the Old School, a very becoming costume. Col. 
Roach, in the full uniform of Governor's Aid. 
S. W. Dana, in the character of a Chevalier in 
the reign of Charles IL R. J. Stevens, as a red 



cross knight templar of Jerusalem. T. Sargent, 
French boatman. Moses Kimball in a Friar's 
costume, well sustained. E. P. Deacon, in an 
Italian Historical costume of the XHIih century; 
considered the richest dress in the hall Charles 
W. Clapp, two characters; first as Paul Pry, and 
afterwards as a French boatman. R. T. Todd, 
cadet uniform. Charles M. Eustis, as a dele- 
gate of llie Provisional Government of France ; 
very well sustained. Mr. Snelling, Monk's 
dress. Mr. Kidder, in a Prussian costume. Geo. 
Hubbard, Greek dress. Col Wm. P. Winches- 
ter, citizen's co.stume. T. C. Amory, old Eng- 
lish costume. F. G. Shaw, fancy costume. Au- 
gustus Perkins, court dress. J' S. Thorndike, 
court dress — very well sustained. William Par- 
ker, in the uniform of the Medical Stafl'. G. I. 
Cimningham, Neapolitan costume. J. Greely, 
citizen's dress. J. Lincoln Edmands, citizen's 
dress. T. L. Robinson, Polish olTicer. S. S. 
Lewis, agent for the Cunard steamers, citizen's 
dress. Theodore A. Simmons, Earl of Roches- 
ter. Mr. Maynor, costume of a Highlander. B . 
Perley Poore, Greek dress— a very beauti- 
ful costume. Geo. P. Burnham, Sportsman's 
dress. G. R. Russell, Chinese costume, a fine 
affair. Arthur Gilman, as Julian Peverill — dress 
of pale blue velvet, trnnmed with s-old, of the 
time of Charles the 2d. Nathan Matthews, as 
Don Cfesar de Bazan. 

Miss Ilenshaw, Cambridge, ballroom dress, a 
very rich affair. Miss Maria A. Gould, Cam- 
bridge, in the character of Aurora, an elegant 
dress. Miss G. was acknowledged to be the 
most lovely girl present. 

MiscELL.'i.NEOUs. — Miss Vanzant, Newport, 
Scotch costume, very pretty. Miss L. B Tor- 
rev, grand daughter of the late Gov. Charles 
Collins, of Rhode Island, as a Greek lady of 
modern date ; a beautiful girl and costume. 

Mr. Anthonv. New Bedford, Fancy costume. 
N. B. Gould, Cambridge, Charles the'Sd. T. E. 
Slater, of Webster, Caspar. 

G Bailey, Newport, French cavalier. Mr. 
Sherwin, Newport, sailor's dress. Mr. Sharp, 
of the Bellevue House, Don Caesar de Bazan, 
very elegant costume. Mr. Roberts, Newport, 
as Pizarro. Col. Simmons, Major Balch, and 
Capt. Manton, of the Marine Artillery, Provi- 
dence, in uniform of the corps. Dr. Rivers, 
Providence, as a Yankee. P. B. Maurin, Provi- 
dence, as a Pacha. Mr. Jackson, (Daily News) 
as a .Jewish High Priest. Mr. Dejough New- 
port, in a naval costume. C. C. Vanzant, New- 
port, as a Yankee. Gen. Greene, U. S. Senator, 
in a citizen's dress. Charles W. Turner, New- 
port, a gentleman of '76. 

Mrs. James Gordon Bennett, New- York, a 
rich Spanish costume Mrs. Le Vert, Mobile, as 
the Light of the Harem, a superb dress. Mrs. 
Le Vert is the celebrated belle of Saratoga. 

Dr Houston, reporter of the New- York Her- 
ald, as Douglass. H. Fuller, editor of the New 
York Mirror, as Oakley, the celebrated character 
of Charles Kean in the play of the "Jealous 
Wife." J. F. Otis, (N. Y. Express) Pirate- 
dress, white and blue. Mr. Boyiiton, (N. Y. Ex- • 
press.) Henry VIL, very fine costume. Hon. 
George Folsom, court dress, very handsome cos- 
tume. L. Sargent, New Orleans, as Don Felix, 
in a very fine suit. Edward Matthews, New 
Orleans, Castilian nobleman, purple silk velvet, 
trimmed with silver. Major Lewis Cass, Jr., U. 
S. dragoons, citizen's dress. 



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